Republican candidates for Governor of Illinois debate airing on WVIK

WVIK Augustana Public Radio will be broadcasting live a debate between the Republican candidates for Governor of Illinois. This 90-minute debate airs at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 23. Hosted by Illinois Public Broadcasters in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Illinois, the debate will be held in Peoria at WTVP-TV and broadcast live by public radio and television stations across Illinois,
including WVIK. There will be 30 minutes of post-debate analysis following the debate. Jay Pearce, CEO and general manager of WVIK, said, "Amid the barrage of carefully crafted and persuasive, if not always completely accurate, campaign ads, we believe it is critical to hear candidates address the issues in their own words. WVIK is proud to partner with public broadcasters across the state to make this
H Wayne Wilson of WTVP will moderate the debate, and panelists will include Jim Meadows from WILL, Urbana; Jak Tichenor from WSIU, Carbondale; Amanda Vinicky from Illinois Public Radio's statehouse bureau, and a journalism student from the University of Illinois-Springfield. All four Republican candidates for Illinois governor have been confirmed - State Sen. Bill Brady, State Sen. Kirk Dillard, businessman Bruce Rauner and State Treasurer Dan Rutherford. The winner of the Republican primary will be invited to a fall general election debate sponsored by Illinois public broadcasters and the League of Women Voters of Illinois.