CLEVELAND (WJW)- The two candidates vying for Ohio Senator Rob Portman’s seat are gearing up for their first and only statewide debate.
Tim Ryan and JD Vance will square off Monday, October 10, right here on FOX 8 News in Cleveland.
How to watch:
The hour-long debate starts at 7 p.m. at FOX 8 News. It’s hosted by FOX 8’s Joe Toohey and NBC4i’s Colleen Marshall.
The debate can be viewed right here on FOX 8 News and FOX8.com, as well as other Nexstar stations across the Buckeye state and West Virginia. Those stations include WDTN 2 News in Dayton, NBC4 in Columbus, WKBN/WYTV in Youngstown, WTRF in Wheeling and WOWK in Charleston, West Virginia. The debate will also stream on each station’s website.
You can weigh-in on the debate using the #OHSenDebate on Twitter. We will be providing updates throughout the hour.
The candidates:
The rules:
Each candidate will have 5 minutes to answer the topic question. During this time, moderators will be allowed to jump in to make sure that both JD Vance and Tim Ryan are given equal time to answer within the 5-minute window. The Moderators, FOX 8’s Joe Toohey and NBC4i’s Colleen Marshall will also have an option to jump in with follow questions. A bell will signal when the time is up.
The polls:
In a September FOX 8/Emerson College/The Hill poll, Ohio voters supported Republican candidate JD Vance, who led his opponent, Tim Ryan, 44% to 40% in the race for US Senate. 13 percent of voters are still undecided, with 3% planning to vote for someone else.
“Independent voters favor JD Vance by a two-point margin, 51% of which name the economy as their most important issue. Additionally, a stark gender divide exists on the Senate ballot, reflective of other Senate polling this cycle. Men break for Vance by 19 points, whereas women break for Ryan by eight points,” said Spencer Kimball, Executive Director of Emerson College Polling.
