University of Wisconsin - Extension

In the critical election that will determine the winner of a six-year term in the U.S. Senate, WPT helps educate voters when it hosts a live candidate debate at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22. The debate will preempt the usual news program Here and Now.

The We the People U.S. Senate Debate will feature candidates Russ Feingold, the Democratic two-term incumbent from Middleton, and Republican Tim Michels, a construction company owner from Oconomowoc.

The third candidate in the race, Libertarian Arif Kahn of Fond du Lac, did not meet the criteria laid out by We the People/Wisconsin and WPT in order to participate. The criteria can be found at http://www.wisconsinvote.org

The event will be simulcast on Milwaukee Public Television, Wisconsin Public Radio and WISC-TV/Channel 3 in Madison. WPT will rebroadcast the debate at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 24.

The debate will be moderated by Here and Now anchor Frederica Freyberg and takes place just over a week prior to the Nov. 2 balloting.

The debate is part of the We the People/Wisconsin civic journalism project. We the People/Wisconsin is a multimedia partnership that aims to reconnect citizens with public life through town meetings, candidate and issue forums and citizen-based reporting. Participating in We the People/Wisconsin are WPT, Wisconsin Public Radio, the Wisconsin State Journal, WISC-TV/Madison and Wood Communications Group.

We the People/Wisconsin does not advocate for any candidate, political party or movement. It advocates for readers, viewers and listeners by serving as a channel for conversations between citizens and public officials throughout Wisconsin.

WPT is a service of the Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

Wisconsin Public Television is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV/DT, Madison; WPNE-TV/DT, Green Bay; WHRM-TV/DT, Wausau; WLEF-TV/DT, Park Falls; WHLA-TV/DT, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV/DT, Menomonie-Eau Claire.