Indiana Debate Commission planning for May primaries

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Debate Commission will conduct at least one televised debate among candidates for the U.S. Senate during the month leading into the May 8 primary, the commission announced Wednesday (Jan. 24).

The date and location of any debates will be determined in consultation with the candidates and will be based on availability of television broadcast partners and venues.

“We are continuing in our mission to provide the widest possible audience for candidate debates in Indiana,” said Gerry Lanosga, who was elected president of the commission during its annual meeting Tuesday. “We are looking forward to another election year in which we help voters throughout the state decide for themselves which candidate they believe would best represent them in Congress.”

Lanosga, an assistant professor of journalism at Indiana University in Bloomington, previously served as treasurer. He succeeds Dan Byron, who had been president since 2015.

There so far are at least six declared candidates in the Republican field and at least three in the Democratic, all expressing their intention to run for the seat held by Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat who was elected to his first six-year term in 2012.

Voters will have the opportunity to submit questions that will be considered for any debate. Questions may be submitted through the IDC’s website at www.indianadebatecommission.com beginning on a date to be announced later.

The commission also will conduct televised debates during the general election campaign season this fall.

The Indiana Debate Commission formed in 2007 with the mission of putting voters first by sponsoring and conducting statewide televised debates among candidates for statewide political office. Since its first debate season in 2008, the commission has conducted 18 statewide televised debates during primary and general election campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate.

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About the Indiana Debate Commission:

The Indiana Debate Commission is a nonpartisan, statewide group of citizen and organization affiliates dedicated to promoting debates at the state level. The volunteer commission, incorporated in 2007 and organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, works with candidates, sponsors, venues and citizen groups with the motto of “Putting Voters First” to promote open and unbiased debates for Hoosier voters. For more information, visit www.indianadebatecommission.com or join the commission on Facebook.

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