Hillary Clinton announced Monday she will not accept an invitation to debate rival and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ahead of the upcoming California primary.
According to
The Hill, Clinton's communications director Jennifer Palmieri said the Democrat's time is better spent on the campaign trail rather than in a room debating.
"We have declined Fox News' invitation to participate in a debate in California," Palmieri said. "As we have said previously, we plan to compete hard in the remaining primary states, particularly California, while turning our attention to the threat a Donald Trump presidency poses.
"We believe that Hillary Clinton's time is best spent campaigning and meeting directly with voters across California and preparing for a general election campaign that will ensure the White House remains in Democratic hands."
Last week, Sanders said he would debate Clinton in a
Fox News event sometime before the June 7 California primary. The senator, who trails Clinton in the delegate vote totals but is hoping that things go his way at this summer's Democratic National Convention, voiced his disappointment in Clinton's decision on Twitter Monday evening.
California has more delegates on offer than any other state, 475, and the primary is the last official state primary on the docket. The District of Columbia will hold its primary election a week later on June 14.
"Naturally, Fox News is disappointed that Secretary Clinton has declined our debate invitation, especially given that the race is still contested and she had previously agreed to a final debate before the California primary," said Bill Sammon, the vice president and Washington managing editor of Fox News, reports The Hill.
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