Pennsylvania Dem Rep. Matt Cartwright dodges multiple debates, angering constituents: ‘Want to know what I’m buying’

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) has agreed to just one debate against a challenger whose supporters say the congressman should do more to defend his record for constituents.

Cartwright, a sixth-term incumbent representing Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district, has agreed to debate GOP businessman Rob Bresnahan on either Oct. 22 or 23, with local PBS affiliate WVIA-TV as the host.

Bresnahan’s camp held a press conference Monday in Wilkes-Barre to hammer home their thesis that a single debate so late in this critical race does a disservice to constituents in this increasingly conservative district in the state’s northeastern region.

“By refusing to engage in more than one debate, he’s denying voters the opportunity to see where he really stands,” said Luzerne County GOP Chair Gene Ziemba of Cartwright. “It raises questions about what he’s trying to hide.”

From neighboring Lackawanna County, Republican Party Chairman Dan Naylor pointed to Cartwright’s liberal voting record on issues like illegal immigration as one reason he may be hesitant to schedule many debates.

“Clearly, he’s allowing illegals to come in at a rate that is not sustainable for this country,” Naylor told The Post.

Bresnahan’s campaign suggests that the House schedule this fall should give Cartwright “ample availability” for an earlier debate, but Cartwright has only responded by requesting “more information.”

According to this year’s House calendar, the lower chamber is out of session 17 days in September, plus all of October.

Cartwright’s office did not respond to The Post’s inquiry about the why the rep won’t agree to more dates despite the light schedule on Capitol Hill this fall.

Mail-in voting starts Sept. 16 in Pennsylvania — the earliest of any state — so having only one debate in the eleventh hour would deny many Pennsylvanians the chance to hear from their candidates before casting their ballots.

That time crunch is cause for concern among voters in the district who spoke to The Post Monday.

“When you see and hear politicians in action during a debate, you tend to sometimes open your eyes and get a different perspective,” said Candice Chilek, a retired teacher from West Pittston.

Retired Catholic preschool teacher Lorna Altavill of Wilkes-Barre struck a similar chord, likening debates to advertising campaigns.

“You can advertise a product, but I want to see the product, I want to test the product,” she told The Post.

“I want to know what I’m buying, because in the case of an election, if you don’t like what you bought, you can’t return it,” Altavill concluded.

The two candidates in Pennsylvania’s neighboring 7th congressional district — another competitive race labeled a toss-up in Cook Political Report — have agreed to multiple September debates, but have yet to finalize the dates.