A Republican primary candidate running for governor of Maryland has reportedly pulled out of two debates with a GOP opponent who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Kelly Schulz will not participate in a Fox 45 televised debate or a Maryland State Bar Association debate, according to a statement issued by rival candidate Dan Cox.
Gordana Schifanelli, Cox’s running mate, shared the statement to Twitter on Thursday. In that statement, the Cox campaign said it had been informed that Schulz, who is a former state secretary of commerce, would not attend the events.
Former Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz wears a face mask while attending a news conference about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic with Governor Larry Hogan in front of the Maryland State House April 17, 2020 in Annapolis, Maryland. Schulz is currently seeking the Republican nomination for governor of Maryland.
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“Now, today our campaign was informed that Secretary Schulz has rejected appearing at the planned Fox 45 TV Republican Gubernatorial Debate and the previously scheduled Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) Gubernatorial Debate scheduled in-person on May 31 in Ocean City at its annual convention,” the statement said.
Newsweek has sought confirmation from the Schulz campaign, Fox 45 and the Maryland State Bar Association.
Cox’s statement went on to say that only Democratic candidates would now debate in person in Ocean City and that the state bar association “has submitted to the Schulz campaign demands for pre-recorded, separate videos of the Republican candidates.”
Cox, who is currently a state delegate, said that Maryland wouldn’t elect “elitists.”
“These actions make my opponent appear she believes she is above the voters,” Cox said. “She refuses to submit either to the People’s questions or to primary debates.”
He added that Schulz should “step up or step out of the race.”
Tweeting the campaign’s statement, Schifanelli wrote: “Because she’d…