Raymond Baccari
Editor-in-Chief
This Thursday is a big day for the Rhode Island College community. The last two debates before Election Day are taking place right on campus at Sapinsley Hall. Both debates were organized by the American Democracy Project (ADP) and WJAR NBC 10. “Rhode Island’s Anchorman,” Gene Valicenti, will moderate both debates. As prior debates have shown, it’s expected to be an interesting night, with all the candidates getting one last chance to make final pitches to voters.
The first debate on Thursday is for Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District at 4 p.m. between former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung and Treasurer Seth Magaziner. Then at 7 p.m. is a debate for governor between incumbent Gov. Dan McKee and Republican nominee Ashley Kalus. None of the third-party candidates qualified for either debate.
But Thursday night won’t just be debates. A focus group is set for 8 p.m. after the gubernatorial debate. Students in Dr. Valerie Endress’ COMM 353 (Political Communication) course will have a hands-on role in the focus group. Those who want to participate in the focus group need to attend the debate for governor before. Registration for the focus group, which will take place in Alger 110, can be found here. This focus group provides those who attend the debate for governor an opportunity to give their feedback and opinions.
Tickets for both debates are limited. Tickets for the gubernatorial debate are available here, and tickets for the congressional debate are available here. Only one ticket per person can be reserved. For the debate for governor, tickets are exclusive to those in the RIC community only. This includes students, faculty and staff. A RIC email is required upon registration.
Doors open for the congressional debate at 3:15 p.m. and close at 3:50 p.m. Then for the governor debate, doors open at 6:15 p.m. and close at 6:50 p.m.
For those not attending in person, there are three ways to view the debates: live on WJAR NBC 10, turnto10.com and on their mobile app.
Additional questions about the debates and focus group can be asked to Endress via email at vendress@ric.edu.