First gubernatorial debate may be at Pitt

Pitt may host the first public debate between the… Pitt may host the first public debate between the candidates for governor this fall.

The gubernatorial debate will showcase Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and state Attorney General Tom Corbett, according to the head of the University’s Graduate and Professional Student Assembly.

GPSA president Nila Devanath said Wednesday that the Onorato campaign has agreed to attend a debate on Pitt’s campus around September 21. Devanath said a debate on that day would likely be the first event of its kind during the run up to the November general election, though Pitt is still waiting on confirmation from the Corbett campaign.

Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg and other Pitt officials have also participated in talks between the University and the Onorato campaign, Devanath said.

Devanath’s announcement comes on the same day that Onorato released a letter to civic leaders across Pennsylvania, calling for an open and honest governors race.

“With our state in economic crisis, facing severe fiscal challenges and crying out for reform, the stakes have never been so high and the need for transparency and accountability so great,” Onorato said in the statement.

Campaign spokesman Brian Herman could not confirm that Onorato will be at Pitt for the first debate, but he did say that an early debate at Pitt is possible.

“It’s my impression that we’re still figuring out exactly where and when the first debate will be, but we have been in contact with Pitt,” Herman said. “To be honest, we’ve gotten so many requests that we’re still working through them.”

Earlier this week Onorato challenged Corbett to 14 debates–a reasonable number considering the flurry of primary debates held this spring, Onorato said. A Corbett campaign spokesman quickly challenged Onorato’s actions, calling the large number of debates a “media stunt.”

Several other Oakland and Pitt organizations are involved in the debate planning process, including Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project, a local group formed to get students and professionals involved in politics and policy making.