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Indiana Debate Commission moves forward with U.S. Senate debate. Banks won't take part

WFIU | By Brandon Smith
Published October 7, 2024 at 1:25 PM EDT
U.S. Rep. Jim Banks hasn’t accepted an invitation to debate Democrat Valerie McCray or Libertarian Andrew Horning in the race to fill Indiana’s open U.S. Senate seat.
U.S. Rep. Jim Banks hasn’t accepted an invitation to debate Democrat Valerie McCray or Libertarian Andrew Horning in the race to fill Indiana’s open U.S. Senate seat.

The nonpartisan Indiana Debate Commission announced Friday it will host a debate for Indiana’s U.S. Senate race later this month — even as one of the candidates won’t participate.

Only  Democrat Valerie McCray and Libertarian Andrew Horning will take part in the debate on Oct. 29.  Republican Jim Banks declined the commission’s invitation.

The Senate race is an open one, as incumbent Republican Mike Braun opted to run for governor this fall.

The commission is inviting people to submit questions for the debate on its website,  IndianaDebateCommission.com. Those questions, which will be vetted by the commission, can be submitted by Oct. 17.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at  bsmith@ipbs.org  or follow him on Twitter at  @brandonjsmith5 .
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Brandon Smith
Brandon J. Smith has previously worked as a reporter and anchor for KBIA Radio in Columbia, MO. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, IL as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.
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