[Vision2020] Voters Can Watch State Hopefuls Debate on Live TV

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (May 7, 2006) Spokesman Review -

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Voters can watch state hopefuls debate on live TV 
Betsy Z. Russell 
Staff writer
May 7, 2006

BOISE - Candidates for top state offices who are facing off in the May 23
primary election will debate live on Idaho Public Television in the coming
days.

The Idaho Debates, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the Idaho Press
Club and Idaho Public TV, start Tuesday with the two Democratic candidates
for lieutenant governor, Dan Romero and Larry LaRocco. That debate will be
broadcast live at 7 p.m. PDT and can be watched online during and after the
debate at www.idahoptv.org.
 
The winner of that primary matchup will face Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch
in November. 

Subsequent debates will include candidates for Congress, Idaho attorney
general and state superintendent of schools.

The three organizations have sponsored the statewide televised debates for
25 years and will do so again for the fall general election.

"We are proud to host them, to help voters make more informed choices," said
Marcia Franklin of Idaho Public TV, who will serve as moderator for four of
the debates. Jim Peck will moderate the other two. Panels of reporters from
the Idaho Press Club will question the candidates, and the League will
provide timekeepers.

Here are the other debate dates and broadcast times:

.Republican Attorney General Lawrence Wasden will debate his GOP primary
election challenger, Myron Dan Gabbert, on Wednesday evening. That debate
will air at 8 p.m. PDT. 

.On May 16, Democratic candidates for state superintendent of public
instruction Bert Marley and Jana Jones will debate. That broadcast will air
at 7 p.m. PDT.

.On May 17, Republican candidates for state superintendent Steve Casey, Tom
Luna and Steve Smylie will debate. That debate will begin at 7 p.m. PDT.

.Republican candidates for the 1st District congressional seat will debate
May 18 at 7 p.m. PDT. The six candidates scheduled to debate are Skip
Brandt, Keith Johnson, Bill Sali, Norm Semanko, Sheila Sorensen and Robert
Vasquez.

All debates will run for one hour, except for the six-way congressional
debate that will be 90 minutes.

The primary debates include all candidates in contested races who submitted
materials documenting that they are conducting active campaigns. A few
candidates either didn't submit any materials or failed to show they're
actively campaigning and thereforeweren't included in the debates.

The League, the Press Club and Idaho PTV, in compliance with a U.S. Supreme
Court decision, set objective standards for active campaigns and applied the
same standards to all candidates to determine debate participation.

In cases where one candidate submitted materials but the other didn't, no
debate was scheduled. 

More information about the Idaho Debates and the candidates is available
online at www.idaho-ptv.org.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"I love my country but fear my government."

- Author Unknown