Two candidates to participate in three debates

By DAVID SKOLNICK

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The two major-party candidates for U.S. Senate will participate in three debates to be hosted by the state’s eight largest newspapers, including The Vindicator.

Each of the debates between Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Lee Fisher will be one hour long.

The debates will be in Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo.

Only the debate at the City Club of Cleveland on Oct. 8 has been finalized. That debate will be before a public audience.

Dates and locations for the two other debates in Columbus and Toledo have not yet been set. Those two will be television-studio debates without a public audience.

The campaigns accepted the proposals from the Ohio Newspaper Organization that a panel of four newspaper journalists pose questions at each debate, and that the debates be moderated by a journalist affiliated with one of the partnering television stations.

The journalists will come from the staffs of the sponsoring newspapers: The Vindicator, The Repository in Canton, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland, The Columbus Dispatch, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Dayton Daily News, The Blade of Toledo, and the Akron Beacon Journal. Portman was to discuss his plans Wednesday to improve Ohio’s manufacturing during a campaign stop at Brilex Industries in Youngstown and then meet with reporters and editors of The Vindicator. He canceled the events because of the Tuesday death of his 88-year-old father, Bill.

The newspaper organization will also host two debates for the major-party candidates for governor. Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, will face off against Republican John Kasich on Sept. 14 in Columbus and Oct. 7 in Toledo.

The campaigns in both races selected the locations.