Kennedy Agrees to Debate Appearances; Bielat 'Disappointed' with Announcement

As the general election race for the 4 Congressional District (which includes Attleboro and Seekonk) heats up, so begins a debate about debates.

Democratic candidate Joe Kennedy III announced Wednesday that he would appear in three debates, including a spot on WCVB's "On the Record" and a candidates night at Wellesley College.

A few hours after Kennedy's announcement, Republican candidate Sean Bielat responded with a letter stating he was "disappointed" to see Kennedy agree to only three debates.

In his response, Bielat said he has accepted 16 debate offers to date.

According to a press release issued Wednesday by the Kennedy campaign, the candidate agreed to a televised debate on WCVB's "On the Record" with Janet Wu and Ed Harding. The WCVB debate is scheduled for Sept. 30 at 11 a.m.

Kennedy and Bielat will also take part in MassINC's "American Dream" debate in Fall River on Oct. 10 at 4 p.m. and the League of Women Voters' candidates night at Wellesley College on Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

"My opponents and I have fundamentally different ideas for the future of this country, and I look forward to engaging with them in debates across the district on the issues that matter most," said Kennedy in a written statement. 

Bielat argued that Kennedy is relying on name recognition to win the race and is hoping for "as little risk as possible" by not agreeing to live television or radio debates.

"Every election should be about giving voters a choice between two candidates and their respective messages," Bielat wrote in a letter to Kennedy. "If you aren't in fact running on your name, I would hope that you too would want to give voters a chance to compare us and our views, and then make their decisions."