The candidates for Governor square-off tonight in their first debate, ahead of the November election.
Democrat Tom Barrett and Republican Scott Walker expected to concentrate on economic issues in the meeting. UW political scientist David Canon says there’s unlikely to be many surprises in the encounter, since the debates are usually pretty structured.
Canon says the actual event doesn’t change many minds, but the media reports on how the candidates fared can have a small impact afterwards. He says it’s mainly meant as a chance for voters to look beyond slick TV ads.
The candidates will meet in two more debates ahead of the November election.