The hour-long program, airing on WCVB-TV (Channel 5) and BostonGlobe.com, will likely see the biggest audience of a so-far low key race, making the live debate a high-wire act for both candidates.

Governor Charlie Baker and Democratic nominee Jay Gonzalez were set to battle for a final time on the debate stage Thursday night, offering the incumbent an opportunity to cement what polls show to be a massive lead and the challenger a shot at smashing the status quo.

It will be moderated by WCVB anchor Maria Stephanos and WBUR-FM’s Bob Oakes. Janet Wu of WCVB, Adrian Walker of the Boston Globe, and Anthony Brooks of WBUR will also offer questions.


Gonzalez, a one-time state budget chief, wants to raise taxes and plow the new billions into transportation and education. He’s knocked Baker for being a visionless, go-along-to-get-along governor, a poor fit for the extraordinary times, and tried to tie him to President Trump.

Baker, a Republican who didn’t vote for Trump in 2016, has trumpeted his bipartisan credentials, his work battling the opioid epidemic, and his belief in comity and cooperation. He’s knocked Gonzalez for cuts he made as the state was emerging from the Great Recession.

A poll released by WBUR Thursday found Baker leading Gonzalez by more than 40 percentage points among likely voters, a stunning margin but one that matches other public polls released this week. Baker won the gubernatorial contest in 2014 by just 2 percentage points.

The debate is being put on by a consortium of statewide organizations including The Boston Globe, WBUR, University of Massachusetts Boston John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, and western Massachusetts television stations.

Joshua Miller can be reached at joshua.miller@globe.com.

Reach Matt Stout at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him on twitter @mattpstout