The highly-anticipated debate between Kentucky U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell and challenger Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes takes place Monday night.
By all accounts, the race is a close one. Eastern Kentucky University Department of Government Professor Joe Gershtenson says Monday's KET appearance? provides a setting where a political misstep can occur.
"It opens up opportunities for slips that perhaps in the day-to-day campaign when you're working from a very tightly scripted message and only fielding questions that maybe you want to, it's a little bit more controlled setting," said Gershtenson.
Gershtenson says the face-to-face meeting could be a stressful situation for both candidates. "When they are actually head-to-head like that, facing one another, the stakes are fairly high and with the attention that this race is getting, a number of people will see the debate firsthand in terms of Kentucky voters," added Gershtenson.
A third candidate in the race, Libertarian David Patterson filed a suit challenging KET's decision to exclude him from the debate. U.S. District Judge Greg Van Tatenhove denied Patterson's request, ruling that KET is not required to include him in the hour long broadcast. ? KET's Kentucky Tonight airs Monday night at 8' o clock.?
