“The lieutenant governor is second-in-command and that’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly,” Lyons said in a statement. “The next lieutenant governor must be prepared to lead. These debates are important so voters can weigh each candidate’s experience to help them decide who will best move this state forward.”

At the top of the ticket, Republican gubernatorial nominee and Attorney General Bill Schuette will face off with Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, the former minority leader of the Michigan Senate, twice in October. Both candidates had originally proposed three debates, but the campaigns ultimately settled on two, to be held in Grand Rapids and Detroit.

“The selection of a lieutenant governor running mate is the first significant decision a candidate for governor makes and voters deserve the opportunity to compare these candidates,” Schuette said. 

Whitmer's campaign dismissed the Schuette campaign's call for debates between the lieutenant governor candidates as a distraction.

"Senator Whitmer is looking forward to participating in two debates with Attorney General Schuette," Whitmer's press secretary Nicole Simmons said. "Since the Attorney General refused our proposal for a town hall debate in Flint – where he would have to answer questions face to face from Flint parents about why he ignored 15 different complaints about Flint's water – this new proposal is a total non-starter. Schuette knows he's trailing badly in the polls, so he will have to find another desperate gimmick to save his failing campaign."

Candidates in several other local and statewide races have already scheduled debates with one another.

This story was updated at 12:50 p.m. on Oct. 1 to include comments from Whitmer's campaign.