McCaskill, Hawley will face off in public debate Oct. 18

St. Louis Public Radio, NBC, PBS affiliates to broadcast debate starting at 7 p.m.

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D) and Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley (R) will face off in a public debate at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, at Nine Network’s studio in St. Louis as they battle for Missouri’s U.S. Senate seat in the Nov. 6 general election.

NPR, NBC and PBS affiliates will broadcast the debate throughout Missouri so that voters can make well-informed decisions for the upcoming election. Viewers can tune in at 7 p.m. to watch the debate live.

St. Louis Public Radio is partnering with 5 On Your Side and the Nine Network of Public Media to host the hour-long debate.

Judy Woodruff, managing editor of PBS Newshour, will be the debate moderator. The panelists include St. Louis Public Radio political reporter Jo Mannies and 5 On Your Side anchor Mike Bush. A team of journalists from each of the three participating media organizations will prepare questions for the panelists to ask.

Residents across Missouri will participate in the debate by asking questions through social media. These questions will be selected by Nine Network’s Ruth Ezell, who will also take questions from a live audience.

Seats for the debate are filled. However, a public watch party will be held in the Public Media Commons, between the Nine Network and St. Louis Public Radio on Olive Street, where 5 On Your Side’s Casey Nolen and St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum will get real-time audience perspective and host a post-debate analysis show.