Jon Ossoff and Karen Handel (Getty/YouTube)
The time has finally come for Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel to debate.
The two are scheduled to take the podium and debate a number of topics starting at 8 p.m. EDT. It’s expected to last about and hour and will be broadcast locally in the Atlanta area on WSB-TV.
It’s the first — and likely only — time that Ossoff and Handel will take part in a televised debate ahead of the June 20 election to replace former Rep. Tom Price in the U.S. House of Representatives. Price was confirmed as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The debate is a WSB Channel 2 exclusive, therefore it will be broadcast locally on the TV station. For people outside of the area, it will be live streamed on Channel 2’s website.
To access the live stream on the website, click here. It will also be streamed on the news station’s Facebook page, which can be accessed by clicking here.
The debate is also being streamed on YouTube by users. Check below for a live stream on the platform:
Note: All live streams won’t be available until the debate begins at 8 p.m. EDT.
The most recent poll, performed by Landmark Communications on behalf of WSB-TV, shows the two candidates in a virtual dead heat. Out of the 500 likely voters in the district, Ossoff got 49.1 percentage points to Handel’s 47.6 with a margin of error of 4.38 percent.
The debate on Channel 2 comes just days after Ossoff, a first-time politician, declined to take part in a June 13 debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club. It’s an event that CNN had offered to broadcast nationally.
“We’re committed to participating in debates moderated by members of the metro Atlanta press corps, so unfortunately Jon will not be attending the proposed debate on June 13th,” Atlanta Press Club President Lauri Strauss said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Ossoff’s refusal to take part in the debate on the national stage means that Tuesday’s debate and another one Thursday on WABE Radio/PBA 30 will be the only televised ones. There’s also a possibility of a June 15 debate on WSB Radio.
