The rules for this debate, their second, will allow candidates to offer rebuttals, which may result in a more lively hour.
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Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, a Republican, left, and his Democratic challenger, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, before their first televised debate earlier this month.
The second Senate debate in Wisconsin, on Thursday evening, comes at a perilous moment for Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.
Weeks of attack ads from Senator Ron Johnson and his Republican allies have hurt Mr. Barnes, the Democratic challenger, who has gone from having a seven-point lead in August to being six points behind this week, according to polling from Marquette University Law School.
Their first debate last week was a relatively staid event, with the moderator forbidding Mr. Johnson and Mr. Barnes from rebutting each other, and they faced few follow-up questions from the panel of local journalists. The result was an hour free of fireworks and without any viral moments for either candidate.
Thursday’s debate is Mr. Barnes’s final one-on-one opportunity to present himself alongside Mr. Johnson, who spent the last week complaining to friendly radio hosts that questions about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and his opposition to abortion rights were biased against him.
The rules for this debate will allow candidates to offer rebuttals, which may result in a more lively hour for Wisconsin’s few remaining undecided voters.
For Mr. Johnson, the goal will be to remain on the attack against Mr. Barnes and not commit any major mistakes of his own — though Wisconsin voters have not punished him for outlandish statements in the past.
The debate is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern time, and will be streamed via WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee and on C-SPAN.
Source: nytimes.com
