With all eyes on Georgia’s two runoff elections that will determine the balance of power in the Senate, two of the candidates are set to debate each other on Sunday evening that will give them an opportunity to present their case weeks before the contests take place.
Who is debating?
Incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and her Democratic opponent, Rev. Raphael Warnock, have both accepted invitations from the Atlanta Press Club to participate in the debate at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday. While the other Republican candidate, incumbent Sen. David Perdue, declined his invitation to face-off against Democrat Jon Ossoff, his Democratic challenger accepted his invite and will appear next to an empty podium at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, per the debate’s rules.
The Atlanta Press Club has stressed that they will allow Perdue to participate if he changes his mind.
Where can I watch it?
CNN will air the debate between Loeffler and Warnock at 7 p.m. ET. The debate will also stream live on CNN.com’s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android with a log-in to a cable provider. It can also be viewed on CNNgo (at CNN.com/go on your desktop, smartphone, and iPad, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku and Samsung Smart TV). The debates will also be available on demand to subscribers via cable/satellite systems, CNNgo platforms and CNN mobile apps.
Who are the moderators?
The debates will be moderated by WAGA-TV/Fox5 anchor Russ Spencer, according to the Atlanta Press Club, which said Greg Bluestein, a political reporter with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Lisa Rayam, a host and senior producer at WABE Radio, will be panelists.
What is the format of the debate?
In each debate, the moderator will provide opening statements for the candidates, according to the Atlanta Press Club. The debates will be divided into three rounds, with the first one involving each candidate being asked at least one question by a panelist. In the second round, the candidates will be allowed to ask their opponents at least one question, with time for a rebuttal. The third round involves panelists taking turns asking a question to a candidate of their choice until time runs out.
Following the rounds, each candidate will be able to make a closing statement.
Where is the debate taking place?
The debates will take place at Georgia Public Broadcasting’s studios in Atlanta.
How many days until the runoff election?
There are 30 days between Sunday and the runoff elections, which take place on January 5.
