NEWS 28 - On July 20, 2024, Joseph Cooke and Joshua Adamson will debate for the first time since they were nominated their party's respective nominees. The debates in question will be held in three different segments, and will run between July and September.

Incumbent Joshua Adamson is seeking to be re-elected to his office, hoping to keep Republicans in control of the State well into 2026 and into the future. During the debate he says he will focus on addressing view concerns about the economy and the crime surge that has been observed within the state. Adamson still has a heavy lead in most polls between himself and Joseph Cooke.

"This debate is important to Republicans because we can not allow the Nationalists to come into not only the Governor's office but the state legislature, because they will destroy the very foundations of our state," said Governor Adamson. "The state has been running smoothly under Republican control and we must keep Republicans in power."

Joseph Cooke has also said that Republicans are a danger to the state, working to destroy the rights of LGBTQ Mesians and will continue to push Republican ideology and destroy all Mesians rights to freedom of expression and living the way they want to live.

"Republicans will continue to slowly and forcefully reject LGBTQ ideology and will destroy your rights as LGBTQ Mesians," said Joseph Cooke. "Not only that, he has been ineffective in reducing the State's inflation which has been an ongoing issue since the start of the Paul Administration back in 2021. We can't have another two years with Republicans in charge."

"This debate will be a fiery one, as both candidates seek to grab as much support from the first debate as possible," said Nancy Yates a political analyst from News 28. "Cooke is young seeking the office while Governor Adamson is seeking to keep his job. Both are going to be cutthroat during the debates, more so during the first debate as they attempt to establish that support. It will be a fun watch."

Republicans have gripped control of Mesa for a decade under three different Republican governors. Nationalist law makers say they need to rip that control away from them as they have become "content in lacking on law making."