Jefferson Public Radio will co-sponsor the first debate scheduled between Oregon Governor Kate Brown and her Republican challenger, Dr. Bud Pierce.
The debate will be held on Sept. 24 in Bend, and will focus on rural issues in the state. Other media co-sponsors will include the East Oregonian newspaper and KTVZ television.
The event is being hosted by the Oregon Territory chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). The hour-long debate will be a moderator-panelist format in front of a live audience. JPR News Director and Jefferson Exchange host Geoffrey Riley will be among the panelists.
Brown's campaign has agreed to at least three televised debates before the election in November. The Pierce campaign has called for at least six.
The debate in Bend is the only one so far agreed-to and scheduled. Oregon SPJ will ensure the debate is distributed in the metro Portland and Salem markets by partnering with media groups in those areas. The exact location for the debate has not yet been finalized. Both those announcements will come by mid-August.
