Tonight, at 7pm ET, the bipartisan Open Debate will host the first-ever Open Debate in a U.S. Senate race in Orlando, Florida, with Americans for Tax Reform and the Progressive Change Institute co-hosting. The Young Turks and the Independent Journal Review will moderate the debate between Republican Congressman David Jolly (FL-13) and Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson (FL-9).
Questions have been submitted and voted on by voters across the nation at FloridaOpenDebate.com. The top 30 vote-getting questions as picked by Floridians will be what the moderators will choose from to ask the candidates during the Open Debate. Over 400,000 votes have been cast on nearly 1,000 questions submitted by everyday people.
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) says they are watching this trial run in Florida as they make plans for Fall debate formats. “The Commission is watching,” said CPD Co-Chair McCurry in a letter to the bipartisan Open Debate Coalition, which is the main host on Monday. “This is a real opportunity to shape the future of presidential debates.”