KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – U.S. Senate candidates Marsh Blackburn and Phil Bredesen will face off Wednesday for a much-anticipated debate that will be the last one before election day.
The one-hour live debate starts at 7 p.m. Central at The Howard Baker Center for Public Policy, on the UT Campus in Knoxville. You can watch it on News 2 and other Nexstar stations across the state.
Polls have indicated a close contest to replace retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker.
Congressman Blackburn, the Republican, and former Governor Bredesen, the Democrat, have been slugging it out in attack ads on TV and online for weeks. It’s been a bruising, expensive campaign that could determine whether Democrats can overturn the 51-49 Republican Senate majority.
A win would be historic for Blackburn, who would become the first woman U.S. Senator ever elected in Tennessee.
Blackburn has billed herself as a “hardcore, card-carrying Tennessee conservative” and a strong Trump backer in a state that voted for the president by 26 percentage points. She supports Trump’s agenda, including his wall-building immigration crackdown and his U.S. Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh.
Blackburn has benefited from appearances with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in public events and fundraisers across Tennessee.
Bredesen is pledging to work across party lines, saying he will support Trump on policies that are good for the state, and oppose him when they aren’t. He surprised many Democrats when he voiced his support for the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh.
Bredesen was the last Democrat to win statewide in Tennessee, where he clinched all 95 counties in his 2006 re-election as governor. He would need to peel off support from moderate Republicans and independents to win the Senate seat. For Tennessee Democrats, it’s been a long drought in the Senate. The last to win was former Vice President Al Gore in 1990.
The candidates will not be allowed to bring in notes, papers or campaign material on stage. No electronic devices will be allowed during the debate. Each candidate will be provided a blank notebook, pen, and water at their podiums.
Bredesen’s team won the card draw last week, so the former governor will get the first question.
News 2’s Bob Mueller will be asking the questions, along with journalists from Memphis and Knoxville.
Each candidate will be asked the same questions. They will get 60 seconds to answer and 30 seconds to respond, clarify or refute information stated by their opponent.
The Senate debate is drawing a national audience. Reporters from ABC News, The Washington Post, and Fox Business Network have been credentialed along with journalists from a dozen more media outlets.