Democratic Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch has agreed to debate his Republican challenger, J. William W. Harsch, three times before the Nov. 7 election.

Harsch had accused Lynch of dodging debates, but now Lynch has announced he will take part in an Oct. 20 debate on radio station WPRO, an Oct. 22 debate on television station WPRI (Channel 12), and a Nov. 5 debate on television station WJAR (Channel 10).

“Debates are a crucial part of the democratic process, enabling voters to hear directly from the candidates themselves,” Lynch said in a statement. “I look forward to a spirited and open dialogue on the issues.”

Harsch’s campaign coordinator, Tom Shevlin, said Harsch welcomes the three debates and would like to schedule more. He said Harsch wants to have a debate in each of the state’s five counties, in addition to debates on television and radio stations, so that the candidates can focus on issues of interest to different parts of Rhode Island.

Shevlin said Harsch is disappointed Lynch has not scheduled a debate with, for example, the League of Women Voters. “But I understand Mr. Lynch’s strategy — to limit the debates to the most desirable opportunities for him,” he said.

Lynch’s campaign manager, Andrea Iannazzi, said, “These are the three debates we have committed to as of now. There may be others as requests come in.”

Shevlin said Harsch is the underdog. “But I feel confident that when we come out of these debates, people will understand that Bill not only offers rhetoric, he offers results,” he said. “People will see that this attorney general’s race is the most important race in the election.”

Lynch said he welcomes the chance to contrast his record with Harsch’s. “As attorney general, I have upheld my pledge to protect Rhode Island families, especially our most vulnerable citizens,” he said. “Over the last four years, I’ve fought for tougher sentences for drunk drivers, helped seniors victimized by abuse and neglect and prosecuted chemical corporations for poisoning our children with lead paint. I am proud to stand behind that record.”

Shevlin said Harsch also wants to discuss Lynch’s record in those areas. Regarding the lead-paint trial, he said, “I am looking forward to having him give an explanation of whether he thinks it was appropriate to accept campaign contributions from lawyers on the other side. I think it’s despicable and completely unethical.”

Harsch filed a complaint with the state Ethics Commission, saying Lynch received campaign contributions from DuPont Corp. lawyers and lobbyists before and after reaching a $12-million settlement with the company. The Ethics Commission dismissed Harsch’s complaint in August. The commission staff said Lynch’s acceptance of a $500 contribution from DuPont’s legal counsel while Lynch was prosecuting the lead-paint case against the company “certainly gives rise to an appearance of impropriety, if not evidence of poor judgment.” But the commission found the complaint failed to allege facts that would meet the standard for violating the law involving campaign contributions in return for official actions.

In response to Shevlin, Iannazzi said, “Those comments are not surprising coming from a campaign that is running on empty — a candidate that would not have fought the lead-paint companies and still rails against an Ethics Commission, which found his filing to be politically motivated and baseless.”