Mississippi State University College Republicans will host a debate for the Republican primary candidates for governor on campus Tuesday night.
The debate will start at 6:30 p.m. in Bettersworth Auditorium at Lee Hall. MSU College Republicans invited gubernatorial candidates Bill Waller Jr., Robert Foster and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves. Both Waller, former chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, and Foster, state representative, agreed to attend the debate, while Reeves declined due to scheduling conflicts.
Adam Sabes, chairman of the College Republicans, said the debate will last four rounds, with each round focused on a particular issue. Each candidate will have two minutes to answer the question. A panel will then ask rebuttal questions, Sabes said, in hopes of highlighting the differences between the two candidates.
“We are hosting this debate because we believe it is important for Mississippians to hear from the people who are running for the highest office in the state,” Sabes said in an email to The Dispatch. “We want to help change the culture surrounding how people think about elections in Mississippi and encourage citizens to hear from all candidates and what they stand for.”
After the four rounds of debate, candidates will have five minutes for a closing statement. Sabes said the goal is to encourage political discussion before the state primary elections on Aug. 6. Sabes added he hopes the debate will encourage more students to be “engaged in Mississippi politics.”
“We want to thank Justice Waller and Representative Foster, as well as their campaigns, for working with us to bring a well-needed discussion of issues and policy to our state,” Sabes said in a press release announcing the event. “We hope that all of the candidates, including Lt. Governor Reeves, will seek to find opportunities to have serious conversations about improving our great state.”
Dispatch News Editor Isabelle Altman contributed to this report.
How to go
■ WHAT: Gubernatorial debate
■ WHEN: Tuesday 6:30 p.m.
■ WHERE: MSU’s Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall
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