THE TWO DEMOCRATIC gubernatorial candidates continued to wrangle over debates on Thursday, with Attorney General Maura Healey agreeing to two debates after the convention in June and Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz dismissing that response as a dodge.

Chang-Diaz called for three debates before the convention, but Healey said she would participate in two forums prior to the June 4 convention in Worcester and two televised debates afterward before the Democratic primary.

The forums are scheduled for April 19 and 27. The first is being hosted by two
Boston wards and moderated by GBH’s Callie Crossley; the second is focused on climate and the environment and is being sponsored by WBUR and the Environmental League of Massachusetts. At forums, the candidates typically appear separately and do not debate.

“Maura has pledged to be the most aggressive governor in the country on climate, and we look forward to the opportunity to have the candidates together on stage answering detailed questions about these critical issues,” said Jason Burrell, Healey’s campaign manager.

Chang-Diaz’s campaign issued a statement saying “the arrogance of dodging debates is the kind of attitude that drives voters away from our party and from participation in the political process.” The campaign reiterated its call for three live, in-person moderated debates prior to the convention and noted Healey called for monthly debates when she first ran for attorney general in 2014.

“Debating is a time-honored tradition and essential to our democratic process,” the Chang-Diaz committee said. “While I have participated in many forums and look forward to joining the ones that the attorney general cited in her letter, they are not a replacement for debates. Our next Democratic nominee must not run away from the issues or their own promises.”