Gubernatorial candidates to debate at auditorium

Indiana’s gubernatorial candidates will sit down for their third and final debate tonight at the IU Auditorium.

Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, Democrat Jill Long Thompson and Libertarian Andy Horning will debate at 7 p.m. This will be one of the last opportunities voters have to see the differences between the candidates.

Tom Cochrun, a retired Indianapolis broadcaster, will moderate the event. The debate will feature more give-and-take between the candidates, said Kyle Niederpruem, a board member of the Indiana Debate Commission.

“There was more formal response and rebuttal time in the first two. This one will be more conversational,” Niederpruem said.

Niederpruem said this will serve as a chance to follow up on issues missed or shirked in the previous debates.

The debate will also be different because the candidates will be sitting at a table instead of standing at podiums, Niederpruem said.

About 400 questions were submitted online, Niederpruem said.

Horning said he expects Thompson will challenge Daniels because Daniels is leading in the polls.

“What she’s going to be swinging at I’m not sure,” Horning said. “There’s plenty, but I’m not sure what she’ll choose.”

Tickets to the event were no longer available as of Monday, but IU Auditorium Director Doug Booher said more tickets might be available closer to the time of the debate.

People can stop by the auditorium or check its Web site for ticket availability. People attending the event need to be seated by 6:30 p.m., and a stand-by line for those seeking tickets will start at 5 p.m., Booher said.

He said the speed in which the tickets were taken shows how interested Bloomington residents are in politics.

“It underscores the great benefit to the community that this is being hosted at IU,” Booher said.