California's two candidates for governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox, will debate live in studio on KQED's Forum program at 10 a.m. on Oct. 8 — the first time they have shared a stage since before the June primary.
The radio match-up, moderated by KQED senior politics editor Scott Shafer, may be the only one Newsom and Cox engage in before voters choose one of them to lead the state of nearly 40 million people. It will be conducted in Forum's normal format — a directed conversation, not subject to strict debate timelines and rules.
Forum won't take live callers for the hour-long broadcast, but KQED will solicit questions ahead of time from its audience.
“We are pleased to be hosting a debate and discussion about the future of California with the two candidates for governor," said Holly Kernan, KQED's Vice President of News. "It’s our mission to support an informed and engaged citizenry. We are very glad the candidates are willing to engage with each other and we hope the conversation is substantive.”
The program audio will be made available to radio stations that want to use it live or broadcast it later. KQED Radio will rebroadcast the event later that day and make it available online.