Debate Commission announces general election face-offs

The Utah Debate Commission has announced its schedule of seven political debates leading up to the general election in November.

SALT LAKE CITY – A vice-presidential debate at the University of Utah will headline events scheduled by the Utah Debate Commission (UTDC) leading up to the general election in November.

Commission co-chair Karen Hale said that seven face-offs between national and state-level political candidates are set to take place from Sept. 24 through Oct. 19.

The most high profile of those events will feature Vice President Mike Pence debating the running mate chosen by former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

The Democratic vice-presidential pick is expected to be announced in the next week to 10 days.

The 90-minute vice-presidential debate is slated for Oct. 7 at Kingsbury Hall on the UofU campus. The starting time for the event has not yet been determined. It will be carried live by the local TV stations, streamed online via Facebook Live and subsequently can be accessed on the UTDC website.

The UTDC fall schedule will lead off Sept. 24 with a debate between Democrat Darren Parry and Republican Blake Moore. Those candidates are vying to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop in the 1st Congressional District.

On Sept. 29, Utah’s gubernatorial candidates will face off. They are Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox and Democratic challenger Chris Peterson.

Incumbent GOP Attorney General Sean Reyes will face Democrat Greg Skordas on Oct. 1.

The candidates in the 4th Congressional District race will debate on Oct. 12. They are incumbent U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams and Democrat Burgess Owens.

On Oct. 15, incumbent U.S. Rep. John Curtis will face Democrat Devin Thorpe, his rival in the 3rd Congressional District race.

Finally, the candidates in the 2nd Congressional District will debate on Oct. 19. They are incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart and Democrat Kael Weston.

With the exception of the upcoming vice-presidential debate, all UTDC events are slated to begin at 6 p.m.

Due to UTDC public opinion threshold standards, third-party candidates rarely qualify for its events.

The UTDC is a consortium of higher educational institutions and media organizations dedicated to creating and facilitating an ordered, non-partisan and independent system of debates among qualified candidates for statewide and federal offices in Utah during each election cycle.

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1 Comment

  • Delon Brower August 3, 2020 at 6:31 am Reply

    Burgess Owens is a republican. This article list him as a democrat. Please correct.

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