A debate between the 9th Congressional District candidates that is, according to a story from the Louisville Courier Journal.

For weeks I’ve been waiting for the news that they have set a date for a debate, only to have Democrat Baron Hill refuse to participate.

Well, it appears Hill has given in after much criticism from Republican candidate Mike Sodrel and Libertarian Eric Schansberg.

The debate will take place at 7 p.m. Oct 21 in Jasper, Ind. at the Jasper Arts Center.

This is the fourth showdown between Hill and Sodrel. The battle has received attention nation-wide as a race to watch. The pair have both lost as incumbents, with each alternating stints in Washington: Hill in 2002, Sodrel in 2004, Hill in 2006.

The question now is whether this trend will continue or if he will break it and be the first of the duo to serve two consecutive terms in the House of Representatives.

Hill has been refusing to participate after complaining on the transition of congressional office from Sodrel to Hill after the 2006 election. Read the C-J link for the whole scoop, which is confusing and childish at best.

Haven’t seen other media outlets jump on this yet, including the Herald Times, but if anything changes I’ll post it here.

Baron Hill will mingle with Bloomington residents tonight before holding a town-hall type meeting in Bloomington.

The congressional candidate and incumbent for Indiana’s 9th District, Hill will eat at the Village Deli at 3:30 on Kirkwood Avenue before holding his meeting at City Hall 5:30 p.m.

Hill’s talk will no doubt center around his vote against the Wall Street bailout yesterday. Hill was one of 95 Democrats in the House of Representatives who voted against the proposal. On the flip side, 140 Democrats voted for it, making him a minority in the Democratic Party, which pushed heavily for the bill.

Of the five Democrats from Indiana in the House, three voted against the bill.

I assume Hill will spend much of his time defending his position to voters, as there is a lot of pressure in Washington to get a bailout passed with yesterday’s record stock market plunge.

Rumors are also spreading that Hill will debate against the other 9th District candidates, Republican Mike Sodrel and Libertarian Eric Schansberg. So far no debate has happened between the trio. Check back soon for more info.