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8 candidates, 3 debates: Tune into Debate for the State this October

People voting in booths.
James Oh
/
Alaska Public Media
People in voting booths at Trailside Elementary School on Nov. 5, 2024.

The stakes are high this election season, with control of Congress up in the air and experts predicting a tight race for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat. Alaskans will also elect a new governor for the first time in eight years.

Alaska Public Media’s Lori Townsend will moderate a series of live debates called Debate for the State to help Alaskans choose who will represent them in the governor’s office and in Congress.

To participate, candidates needed to get at least 5% of the vote in the primary election. That means the governor’s debate will feature all four candidates on the general election ballot, but the U.S. House and Senate debates will be limited to two candidates each. We set that bar because airtime in a debate is a limited resource and we want to spend it on the candidates who have a realistic path to representing Alaskans in office.

You can catch the debates, produced with Alaska’s News Source, on statewide radio, TV or stream them online on these dates:

  • The governor’s debate is Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. 
  • The U.S. House debate is Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
  • The U.S. Senate debate is Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. 

If you have a question you'd like us to ask the candidates, email us at news@alaskapublic.org. Reporters Liz Ruskin, Eric Stone and Wil Courtney will ask questions during the debates, and will consider reader and listener input as they prepare.

Lori Townsend is the news director and senior host for Alaska Public Media. You can send her news tips and program ideas for Talk of Alaska and Alaska Insight at ltownsend@alaskapublic.org or call 907-550-8452.