Voters from Chadron to Plattsmouth can kick the tires of both major-party candidates for U.S. Senate at the Nebraska State Fair.
U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican from Valentine, and Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould, a Democrat, agreed to a World-Herald-KMTV debate Aug. 27.
The two will face off at the Bosselman Conference Center on the fairgrounds in Grand Island at 9 a.m.
“The senator is excited for the opportunity to demonstrate the stark contrasts between her and her opponent,” said Roderick Patton, a Fischer campaign spokesman.
Raybould said, “I look forward to the debate at the State Fair, but we have a lot more to discuss than one debate can encapsulate.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to stay in session over the August recess complicated planning for the debate, the first scheduled.
Neither candidate debated primary opponents this spring, relying on name ID and monetary advantages to crush lesser-known challengers.
Fischer, with four GOP primary opponents, secured nearly 76 percent of the vote; Raybould, with three Democratic opponents, secured nearly 64 percent.
Libertarian candidate Jim Schultz will also be on the Senate ballot this fall.
Also this week, Raybould received the endorsement of the national League of Conservation Voters, a group that advocates environmental causes.
The group’s political action committee added Raybould to its “Give Green” website, which has raised more than $8 million for 172 candidates this cycle. The league stressed Raybould’s work in the public sector and at her family’s 19 regional grocery stores.
