The California Broadcasters Association and the Public Policy Institute of California announced today that they invited gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman to participate in a gubernatorial debate on Oct. 5.
CBA and PPIC are proposing to diverge from a common debate format where a panel of reporters asks questions of the candidates. Instead, the 90-minute debate would be split into segments on five issues or policy issues, with a different moderator for each topic, according to a release.
"California faces critical challenges, and we need to set a new standard for substance in the campaign for the state's top office," PPIC President and CEO Mark Baldassare said in a statement. "This debate is designed to give Californians a better understanding of how the candidates intend to address these challenges and build a better future for our state."
A location has not been set, but the debate broadcast will be available for television and radio stations across the state.
Certified gubernatorial candidates who receive at least 10 percent support in one of three major public polls -- PPIC, Field or Los Angeles Times/USC -- by Sept. 15 will be eligible to participate, according to the release announcing the debate.
Dominican University of California and NBC also issued an invitation this morning to an October debate at Dominican's Angelico Hall. That debate is set to be aired on NBC affiliates across the state.
The Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown campaigns have not yet said whether they will accept either invitation, though Dominican President Joseph R. Fink said in a statement that the school has "contacted their campaign managers and we anticipate that both candidates will agree to engage in a debate on the Dominican campus before the general election in November."
UPDATE 3:33 p.m. Whitman's campaign announced that she has accepted the invitation from Dominican/NBC for October. "I accept that debate invitation because I can't wait to talk specifics with Jerry Brown," she said in a statement. A spokesman for Brown said the campaign has received and is considering both invitations, and wants to see if Whitman agrees to the town hall appearances he has proposed.
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