DUKE AIONA CHALLENGES OPPONENT TO SIX DEBATES

HONOLULU - Lt. Governor Duke Aiona today challenged his opponent in the 2010 General Election to six in-depth debates on the most critical issues facing Hawai‘i's working families and small businesses. These issues will help shape our state in the years to come, and Hawai‘i's voters deserve to know where the candidates stand in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

The hour-long, moderated debates will focus on a specific issue each week: jobs and the economy; education; State budget and spending; Native Hawaiian issues; health and human services; and energy.

"My opponent said he wants to debate the issues, and this format will ensure the important issues facing our working families and small businesses are front-and-center in this campaign," said Lt. Governor Aiona. "We must move past sound bites and offer real solutions. The people of Hawai‘i deserve honest, fiscally responsible and accountable leadership, and I'm ready to show how I will deliver it. I ask my opponent to join me in providing Hawai‘i's voters with the opportunity to make an informed choice for Governor."

The Lt. Governor is proposing the following debate schedule.

• Friday, Sept. 24 -- Jobs and the Economy
• Week of Sept. 27 -- Education
• Week of Oct. 4 -- State budget and Spending
• Week of Oct. 11 -- Native Hawaiian Issues
• Week of Oct. 18 -- Health and Human Services
• Week of Oct. 25 -- Energy

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Debates: Aiona’s Open letter to Abercrombie “All you have to do is say ‘yes’.”