In order to familiarize the public with the candidates’ positions on issues, frontrunner Massachusetts lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Christopher Gabrieli called for three public debates with other lieutenant governor nominees in a letter on Thursday.

“I believe that debates between the candidates should continue until the election on Nov. 5, regardless of which candidates are chosen,” the letter read, referring to the results of today’s primary.

The other candidates Gabrieli is inviting to debate are Democrats Lois Pines and John Slattery and Republicans Kerry Healey and Jim Rappaport.

Though the race for second-in-command rarely draws as much attention as the race for governor, Gabrieli wants to discuss lieutenant governor opinions on important campaign issues during the debates, which may differ from or elaborate on gubernatorial opinions.

Gabrieli’s main concerns are the economy and the state budget.

“We have had a budget for five years and the state is unable to get the budget done on time,” said Gabrieli’s spokesman, Joe Ganley.

Ganley expressed his disappointment that the lieutenant governor race does not receive as much attention as the gubernatorial race and explained it is for this reason Gabrieli is so adamant that he and his fellow candidates publicly debate.

The goal of the debates would not be to expose anything new, but would be “more about the reasons why they are running and offering discussions about what they will offer to the state,” Ganley said.

Rappaport has agreed to all three debates while Healey has declined to debate. She has not elaborated on her reasons for refusing to debate, a decision Gabrieli questioned in a recent campaign press release.

“Obviously she doesn’t think that it is important to inform the people about the issues,” Ganley added.

The partnership between the governor and the lieutenant governor is the most important part of the competition for lieutenant governor, according to Ganley. Though some lieutenant governor candidates are perceived as running in the election to further their own political ambitions, Gabrieli has different motivations, Ganley said.

“If you look at a team like [Democratic gubernatorial candidate Shannon] O’Brien and Gabrieli, it’s different. Gabrieli wouldn’t even run until O’Brien asked him to run with her,” Ganley said. “They work together to make a difference.”

O’Brien chose Gabrieli as her running mate because of their compatible stances on issues such as education and the economy, according to O’Brien spokesman Adrian Durbin.

“He [Gabrieli] would be the best person for her to work with … to promote an agenda to promote Massachusetts families,” Durbin said.

If the O’Brien and Gabrieli ticket wins, the Democrats would gain control of the office held by the Republicans for 12 years.