RHODE ISLAND (NewsNation) — The race for Rhode Island’s governor is heating up. With the election just a few weeks away, the debate between incumbent Gov. Dan Mckee, and his GOP challenger, Ashley Kalus, is expected to be a big event.
The 2022 Rhode Island Gubernatorial Debate is happening at 7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed in this article.
Target 12 Chief Investigative Reporter Tim White and 12 News Politics Editor Ted Nesi will be targeting questions around schools, roads and bridges, the cost of living and other important topics in the state of Rhode Island.
In the primaries leading up to Election Day on Nov. 8, McKee edged out former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, who saw a late surge in the polls and won a last-minute endorsement from The Boston Globe’s editorial board.
“I’m proud to be here,” the 71-year-old governor said in his primary victory speech. “Because Rhode Island is positioned in a way where we’ve never had this momentum before and we’re going to take full advantage of it.”
Mckee’s GOP opponent, Ashley Kalus, a businessperson who has never before sought political office, is listed as an executive with Doctors Test Centers, which landed two multimillion-dollar contracts with the state to administer coronavirus vaccines and tests across the state. She and her husband moved from Illinois, buying a home in Newport last May.
“Ask yourself: who has Rhode Island been changing for? Every day gets harder for working families,” she said in a video announcing her candidacy. “We’re getting killed at the pump, food prices are soaring, it costs more to heat our home, income is not matching inflation, the dream of owning a home is out of reach for many, and we pay more for health care and get less.”
You can watch this debate on NewsNation’s digital platform by coming to this web page at 7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT or watching via Twitter, YouTube or Facebook. To find NewsNation on your television, visit the NewsNation Channel Finder.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.