BUFFALO, N.Y. — The race for the newly formed 23rd district is taking some unconventional turns.
On Tuesday, 2 On Your Side's Scott Levin reached out to well-known Buffalo Developer and former Gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino for an update on his campaign and for an interview, one of several attempts our team has recently made, Paladino once again declined.
In a text response, Paladino said, "Sorry. I'm not doing any."
New York State Republican Chair Nick Langworthy is Paladino's primary opponent for the seat and tells 2 On Your Side's Liz Lewin this race has been "very unorthodox from the beginning."
When asked about how, if at all, Paladino's strategy is impacting his campaign, Langworthy insists he is continuing to run the same transparent grassroots campaign as he has since day one.
"We owe it to our constituents to go out across the community and talk about the issues that are important to them," Langworthy says. "I'll do any candidate forum that's put in front of us in this district as I've taken every interview so far. I have nothing that I'm hiding from."
On June 30, Paladino tweeted out a video for a television Ad highlighting his run for congress. In it, he identifies himself as the "Original Straight Shooter."
"There's a lot more to being a federal representative than trying to buy an election and putting up a bunch of commercials you know paid for by your millions," Langworthy says in response.
As for the debate, last week Langworthy maintain he is ready and willing to debate Paladino prior to the primary on August 23.
Paladino tweeted out his thoughts on July 21, saying in part: "Nick Langworthy is looking for a debate. He is a desperate man, and in any event, I wouldn’t want to embarrass him. "
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