SEATTLE — Today promises to be a high-stakes political spectacle as voters tune in for a doubleheader of debates.
The evening kicks off with the much-anticipated debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris at 6 p.m. Pacific time, when the presidential candidates will clash over key national issues.
Immediately after the ABC News debate, Washington’s candidates for governor, Democrat Bob Ferguson and Republican Dave Reichert, will face off in a debate organized by The Seattle Times and KING 5 News.
The hourlong debate will be televised on KING 5 at 8 p.m. Pacific and livestreamed on seattletimes.com. The 2024 governor’s debate was organized in partnership with weekly Spanish language newspaper El Sol de Yakima and CBS affiliate KREM 2 in Spokane.
Joyce Taylor, of KING 5 News, will moderate the debate, and a panel of journalists — Seattle Times political reporter Jim Brunner, Mark Hanrahan of KREM 2 News and Gloria Ibañez of El Sol de Yakima — will ask the candidates questions about top statewide issues including public safety, homelessness, transportation and statewide initiatives.
Ferguson and Reichert will make opening and closing statements. Each candidate will get 75 seconds to answer a primary question on a topic, which will be followed by a discussion period during which answers will be limited to 45 seconds.
In a 28-candidate primary contest, Ferguson grabbed close to half the votes — with 45 percent to Reichert’s 28 percent.
Ferguson has been Washington’s attorney general since 2012 and previously served on the Metropolitan King County Council. Reichert was King County sheriff for eight years until he was elected to Washington’s 8th Congressional District in 2004. He left Congress in 2019.
Tuesday’s gubernatorial debate is the first of two debates between Ferguson and Reichert this month.
The Association of Washington Business and Greater Spokane Inc. will host the two candidates at 6 p.m. Sept. 18 in Spokane. It will be moderated by KHQ-TV anchors Sean Owsley and Kalae Chock, and Austin Jenkins, a Pluribus News staff writer and host of TVW’s “Inside Olympia.”
NonStop Local KNDU/KNDO will air the debate in the Tri-Cities and Yakima. The debate will be rebroadcast on TVW and C-SPAN and posted at nonstoplocal.com.
Visit seattletimes.com Tuesday at 6 p.m. to watch the presidential debate and at 8 p.m. to watch the gubernatorial debate.
