Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson and his Democratic opponent Mandela Barnes have agreed to participate in two televised debates prior to the November 8th general election. The first debate will be hosted by the Wisconsin Broadcast Association on October 7th. The second debate will be hosted by WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) on October 13th. A third town hall-style event is being planned by WISN-TV (Channel 12), but so far only Johnson has agreed to participate in that event. Barnes — on the other hand — has challenged Johnson to participate in a forum hosted by the Wisconsin Farmers Union and Main Street Alliance in Oshkosh.
“I’m willing to tell Wisconsinites what I believe,” Johnson said. “There’s one person hiding who doesn’t want Wisconsin to know what he truly believes. And that’s Mandela Barnes. I’m happy to be transparent and honest.” Barnes campaign manager Kory Kozloski told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Barnes “looks forward to holding [Johnson] accountable for his record of putting himself and his wealthy donors first on the debate stage in Milwaukee, and then in his own backyard in Oshkosh.”
