SGA has since revealed they will be hosting a student public forum — where students can voice their opinions regarding political issues — in place of the event on Oct. 20 from 7-9 in SPA (bottom floor of Case Center).
According to the Washington Post, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has pulled out of the Senate debate that was scheduled to take place on Oct. 21 in Zankel. Gillibrand cited a labor dispute with Spectrum News’ parent company as her reasoning for cancelling.
The dispute between NY1’s parent company, Charter Communications, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has been ongoing, as the strike has been occurring since March 2017.
“For more than 25 years, NY1 has been serving the citizens of New York with thorough and objective hyper-local news coverage,” said a NY1 spokesperson to the New York Post.
Her Republican opponent, Chele Farley, replied to the cancellation through Facebook, saying the Democratic candidate had “chickened out.”
Tickets for the event had long been sold out. Gillibrand made a statement saying she is prepared to do the debate but with a different media partner, and perhaps on a different date.
The New York Post quoted Gillibrand as saying: “I believe deeply that an open public debate is essential to democracy. That is why months ago I agreed to a statewide debate with Spectrum News/NY1 before the upcoming election.”
Gillibrand is currently holding a double digit lead in the polls. Since the recent news releases her campaign has yet to comment.