Hochul’s inner Cuomo: She’s agreeing to just one debate just days before the election

The headline in another newspaper last August, days after she’d taken over as governor, read: “Kathy Hochul Wants to Make One Thing Clear: She Is Not Cuomo.” The even-keeled, collaborative woman who succeeded the domineering, sometimes vindictive man promised to run New York differently.

Unfortunately, in at least one key area, Hochul seems to have taken close notes from her predecessor. Like Andrew Cuomo four and eight years ago — who was also guarding a large lead in the polls and a huge fundraising advantage — she’s rebuffed her opponent’s attempts to debate more than once before the election. While politically understandable, that deprives many voters of the close-up compare-and-contrast that’s crucial to their final decision.

Wednesday, Hochul finally agreed to debate GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin on Oct. 25, which is four days before early voting begins and two weeks before Election Day. Better late than never, but late — and set for cable’s NY1 rather than broadcast. Zeldin, holding out for multiple debates across the state, has yet to agree.

In 2014, Cuomo assented to just one one-on-one debate with Rob Astorino — on radio — and in 2018 played more games, trying to put as many candidates as possible on stage before participating in a broadcast debate against Marc Molinaro two weeks before the election.

We understand that no incumbent who’s the odds-on favorite is going to commit to a half-dozen debates, but voters deserve better than one measly opportunity to see the two contenders for our state’s top job compare their visions and resumes in an unscripted forum. Indeed, Hochul should jump at the chance to contrast her views on gun safety, reproductive rights and immigration to Zeldin’s, which are retrograde.

For 35 years, the U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates has overseen a series of informative faceoffs between general election foes. Donald Trump whined and complained, as he always does, but even he participated. Instead of returning to square one every four years, why can’t New York figure out something similar?