Sun-Times cancels mayoral debate after Preckwinkle won't commit to showing up

The Chicago Sun-Times canceled a mayoral debate scheduled for later this week because candidate Toni Preckwinkle was "noncommittal" about her participation.

The debate scheduled for Friday at the Sun-Times' West Loop newsroom was set to be moderated by reporters, who operate independently from the Sun-Times Editorial Board that had already endorsed mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot.

But Preckwinkle's campaign said it wanted to focus on other debates since the Sun-Times had endorsed her opponent.

"The Sun-Times invited Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle to debate each other at our office," Sun-Times Editorial Page Editor Tom McNamee and Editor-in-Chief Chris Fusco wrote in a statement. "Lightfoot confirmed she'd participate, but Preckwinkle was noncommittal, so we decided Monday evening to cancel the event."

Lightfoot won the Sun-Times Editorial Board's endorsement ahead of last week's municipal election that landed the former federal prosecutor in an April 2 runoff with Preckwinkle, the Cook County Board president.

Preckwinkle's campaign on Tuesday said it was prioritizing debates with other news outlets, including all five major local television stations and possibly the Chicago Tribune.

For the full story, click here.