Scaredy Kat agrees to just 1 debate

After weeks of ducking, getting called “Scaredy Kat” and even having her face Photoshopped onto a giant costumed chicken, Gov. Hochul has finally named a time and place she is willing to debate Republican challenger Lee Zeldin ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

The Hochul campaign said Wednesday it is willing to do just one debate against the Long Island congressman — assuming he agrees to meet her at Pace University on Oct. 25 for an hourlong contest hosted by NY1 Spectrum News ahead of the Oct. 29 start of early voting.

“Gov. Hochul looks forward to highlighting the clear contrast between her strong record of delivering results and Lee Zeldin’s extreme agenda,” her campaign spokesman, Jerrel Harvey, said in a release.

The Zeldin campaign responded to the offer with criticism — and without committing to the NY1 debate, while noting Zeldin has already accepted two other debate offers from New York TV outlets.

“This is absolutely unacceptable. Just how much contempt Kathy Hochul has towards New Yorkers that she is trying to pathetically get away with just one general election debate over a month after absentee ballots start going out. We should have a live, televised debate right now,” Zeldin said in a statement.

With the first mail ballots scheduled to be sent out Sept. 23, Zeldin has already accepted debate invitations from PIX11 and CBS2 while pushing Hochul to agree to face off for those and up to three more.

“Zeldin is proposing that CBS2 and PIX11 schedule debates anyways and if Hochul is a no-show, then the debate can just proceed without her and with an empty podium,” reads the Zeldin response. “Voters should have the opportunity to hear where the candidates stand before they vote, not after.”