Nexstar has announced that WNCN will host a debate between the Democratic and Republican party candidates for the United States Senate from North Carolina, incumbent Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and former North Carolina State Senator Cal Cunningham.
“U.S. Senate Debate – North Carolina” will take place on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. ET, at the studios of WNCN/CBS 17 in Raleigh, NC, and be telecast throughout the state.
The one-hour debate will bring together potentially more than 8.7 million viewers in 100 counties across North Carolina and will air on seven Nexstar television stations serving the state, including: WNCN-TV (CBS) in Raleigh, WJZY-TV (FOX) in Charlotte, WGHP-TV (FOX) in Greensboro, WNCT-TV (CBS) in Greenville, WYCW-TV (CW) in Spartanburg, SC, and WVBT (FOX) in Norfolk, VA.
WAVY-TV (NBC) in Norfolk will carry a livestream of the debate. Local viewers may also access a live-stream of the debate online by visiting the website of their local Nexstar station (see table below for more information). WWAY-TV (CBS) in Wilmington, NC will also carry the debate live.
The debate will be moderated by WNCN CBS 17 News anchor Marius Payton and include WNCN/CBS 17 News anchor Angela Taylor and WGHP FOX 8 senior political reporter Bob Buckley, who will pose questions to the candidates focused on current local and regional issues impacting communities across North Carolina. The candidates will be asked for their views on education, health care and the coronavirus pandemic, infrastructure and the economy.
In addition to taking questions from the moderator and panelists, the candidates will respond to questions from local voters regarding issues that impact their local communities. Viewers can submit questions for the debate via email to sendit@cbs17.com, and can follow the debate and related content on social media using the hashtag #ncsenatedebate. “U.S. Senate Debate – North Carolina” will be followed by “Post Debate Live” at 8 p.m. ET, a continuing one-hour live broadcast with post-debate analysis, in depth interviews with the candidates and reaction from the community to this important political event. Viewers can also access “Post Debate Live” via livestream on the website of the local Nexstar television station serving their area.
“Nexstar and the award-winning news anchors and reporters at our North Carolina television stations are committed to serving the interests of voters across the state by delivering exclusive local news content and political coverage that will enable them to make informed decisions on election day,” said Tim Busch, President of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
“The ‘US Senate Debate – North Carolina’ is the only statewide forum in which voters can hear directly from the candidates about the issues that matter most to them and their families before heading to the ballot-box this November. We are proud to harness the combined resources of our local station operations throughout North Carolina to bring this exclusive live debate to our viewers across the state. We are grateful to the candidates for their participation, and to the outstanding local communities we serve across North Carolina for their continued viewership and engagement.”
The election for U.S. Senator from North Carolina will take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.