Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and Democratic candidate David Garcia are heading into Round 2 of this week's slugfest with another televised debate.
During their first face off in Phoenix on Monday, Ducey and Garcia wrangled over border and education policies, with Garcia complaining about attack ads he characterized as "bigoted." The second debate is Tuesday in Tucson.
Jon Thompson, spokesman for the Republican Governors Association that produced the ads about Garcia's stand on border issues, called any suggestion of bigotry "absurd."
Several of the ads said Garcia wants to "abolish ICE," a charge he flatly denied on Monday.
Illegal immigration is an issue running deep in this border state.
Garcia, a fourth-generation Latino who works as an education professor, has focused on the state's public education system, another key issue.