Montana PBS will host the debate between U.S. Senate candidates Tester and Sheehy

MISSOULA, Mont. — As the campaign draws to a close, Montana PBS is hosting a debate between U.S. Senate candidates Jon Tester and Tim Sheehy on Monday evening.

The debate will take place at 7 p.m. on the University of Montana campus in Missoula and last one hour.

This debate will allow Tester and Sheehy to present detailed answers and cover a wide range of topics, with local faculty and staff fact-checking what the candidates have to say.

Full release:

Montana PBS will host a debate with Montana U.S. Senate candidates Jon Tester and Tim Sheehy on Monday, September 30, at 7 p.m.

The hour-long debate will take place live in a Montana PBS studio on the University of Montana campus in Missoula. It will feature incumbent U.S. Senator Tester, a Democrat, and Sheehy, the Republican challenger, discussing issues and answering questions from Montana PBS journalists John Twiggs and Anna Rau. There will be no live audience in the studio during the debate.

According to Aaron Pruitt, director and general manager of KSUM-TV/Montana PBS, the format will allow Tester and Sheehy to present detailed answers. There is also the opportunity for direct exchange and, if necessary, for mutual questioning of the candidates.

“Our live studio debate format gives Montana viewers an up-close look at the candidates running for U.S. Senate and enables dynamic interaction on the most pressing issues in our state,” Pruitt said. “This debate, along with our other primary program, aims to provide voters with as much information as possible before they cast their ballot for 2024.”

The debate will be broadcast live simultaneously on Montana Public Radio, Yellowstone Public Radio, online at montanapbs.org/live and on the Montana PBS Facebook page.

A team of faculty and students from the University of Montana School of Journalism will fact-check the debate. Their work will be available online later this evening at montanapbs.org/programs/ElectionCoverage.

Pruitt noted that the selection of candidates invited to participate in the debate complies with the debate participation criteria established by Montana PBS, which can be found at montanapbs.org/about/publicinformation.

The production of Montana PBS candidate debates is made possible with support from the Friends of Montana PBS and the Greater Montana Foundation. Montana PBS is a service of Montana State University and the University of Montana. These include KUSM-TV in Bozeman, KUFM-TV in Missoula, KUKL-TV in Kalispell, KBGS-TV in Billings, KUGF-TV in Great Falls and KUHM-TV in Helena. For more information, visit montanapbs.org.