As they approach a debate today in an increasingly nasty campaign, Democrat Ned Lamont is calling for a civil debate with former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy.
It is unclear how long that might last because the campaigns have both unleashed negative television commercials against each other after Malloy broadcast the first negative ad on Friday, July 23.
"I decided to participate in this debate with Dan Malloy because I wanted the voters to see and hear from us directly, without the negative back and forth that has dominated the airwaves in the last ten days,'' Lamont said in a statement. "This afternoon, I look forward to discussing issues and answering questions about my record and my plan to move Connecticut forward. Today, I plan to focus on talking to the people of Connecticut about my own record, not attacking Dan. I hope he'll do the same. The voters want us to discuss who we are and what we stand for and I believe we should both pledge to take the high road today."
Malloy had told two reporters in Hartford on Monday night that he wanted to talk about the issues during the debate and was planning to do so.