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Sparks are starting to fly in the Democratic gubernatorial primary as Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington accuses former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig of hiding from the voters and avoiding debates.

In a Tuesday press release headlined “Warmington Challenges Craig to Televised Debate,” the executive councilor suggests Craig is trying to avoid a direct contest between the two candidates.

“WMUR has traditionally hosted a gubernatorial primary debate in advance of the September primary election. To date, Warmington has been the only Democratic candidate conducting regular media interviews across print, television, and radio,” the campaign said in a statement.

In addition to challenging Craig to a televised debate before the September 10 primary, Warmington added, “While participating in the WMUR TV debate hasn’t been a question in past election cycles, I’m concerned by recent events that my opponent may not give voters the opportunity they deserve to hear from both major candidates on the debate stage.

“I’ve been campaigning the New Hampshire way for over a year, meeting voters all over the state, taking tough questions from reporters, and participating in countless forums,” Warmington said.

(Editor’s note: Warmington has declined to respond to more than 50 requests for comment on current news stories from reporters at NHJournal.)

Warmington’s campaign also pointed out Craig’s refusal to participate in a bipartisan forum hosted by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, as well as a recent incident in which Craig’s campaign had a New Hampshire Public Radio reporter ejected from an interfaith forum.

Craig’s campaign also declined to respond to requests for comment from NHJournal, but campaign manager Craig Brown told the Union Leader she’s already committed to the WMUR face off.

With only one local television station in the state, the WMUR debates are touchstones of the campaign season. Choosing to skip it would be a major snub, said former WMUR political director Scott Spradling.

“I have great faith in the leadership at WMUR and in Political Director Adam Sexton to provide a gubernatorial primary debate for viewers and for voters. This is a tightly contested and competitive Democratic primary race with two strong candidates, so there is plenty of interest in seeing them share a debate stage. I am confident it will come together,” Spradling said.

The larger issue is the lack of press access in New Hampshire politics in general. Gov. Chris Sununu has set a high bar by regularly meeting with reporters, including from openly liberal outlets like NHPR and the Boston Globe. During the COVID pandemic, he regularly took questions from all comers, live on television.

That stands in stark contrast with the four members of the federal delegation, none of whom have held an open press event in the past four years.

Last week the press director for the Biden for New Hampshire campaign (now Harris for President) physically blocked the doorway to a press conference to prevent an NHJournal reporter from covering statements by state Sens. Donna Soucy and David Watters.

“From my perspective, you’ve got to talk to people, even if you have a difference of opinion,” Warmington told radio host Jack Heath last month.

Asked by NHJournal if that included speaking to reporters in an open press event, Warmington’s campaign had no comment.