Twelve candidates for mayor have been whittled down to two.
Credit: Nicolaus Czarnecki/Metro
Fresh off their preliminary election wins, the candidates vying to become the next mayor of Boston are calling for three televised debates in the mayor’s race.
The campaigns of city Councilman John Connolly and state Rep. Marty Walsh issued a joint statement on the debates on Wednesday.
“After discussions between our campaigns, we agree that televised debates will provide an important forum for voters to gain the information they need to make an informed decision in November’s mayoral election,” the statement said.
On Tuesday Walsh won the preliminary election with more than 18 percent of the vote. Connolly finished second with just over 17 percent of the vote.
During their months of campaigning, the candidates participated in more than a dozen community forums. Apparently hoping to avoid doing that again with six weeks to go before the general election, the candidates urged organizations to come together to host the debates.
“Given the many demands on our campaigns, we request that the media consortiums that have organized candidate debates in the past come together to organize — in conjunction with community and advocacy groups — three televised debates,” the statement said.
Connolly and Walsh called for debates during three weeks in October. The dates and times have yet to be determined.
The general election will be held Nov. 5.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
