U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, and his Democratic challenger, William Lawrence, have been campaigning on some similar issues, like regulating artificial intelligence and data centers.
Their first face-to-face debate at WKAR’s studios in East Lansing on Tuesday will offer each candidate a chance to set themselves apart, highlighting key policy and style differences.
But in a district containing both deeply Republican and deeply Democratic areas, each candidate will have to make inroads in counties they won’t ultimately carry in November.
That could incentivize the candidates to keep things civil and avoid flashy confrontations to minimize the risk of alienating undecided or crossover voters.
The debate will be live streamed on WKAR’s YouTube channel at 11 a.m. Tuesday, before airing on WKAR-TV and WILX News 10 Lansing at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
