Arizona Republic

U.S. Senate contenders Democrat Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Martha McSally will debate Oct.15 in Phoenix at an event hosted by Arizona PBS and The Arizona Republic.

McSally issued a statement Oct. 1 agreeing to the debate. Sinema issued a similar statement on Sept. 14.

The debate is scheduled for 6-7 p.m Oct. 15. It will be broadcast on Arizona PBS Channel 8.1 and at azcentral.com. Republic political reporter Maria Polletta and Ted Simons, host of Channel 8’s "Arizona Horizon," the nightly public affairs program, will be the moderators.

Sinema, a three-term congresswoman from Phoenix, and McSally, a two-term congresswoman from Tucson, are competing for an open seat in the U.S. Senate. Incumbent Jeff Flake has declined to seek a second term.

The race between McSally and Sinema has national implications. It could help decide which party controls the upper chamber of Congress and is deemed a toss-up by political analysts who say Democrats have a shot at taking the seat.

McSally's representatives asked that Green Party candidate, Angela Green, a third Senate candidate on the Nov. 6 general election ballot, also participate in the debate. The debate organizers, The Arizona Republic and Arizona PBS, declined because Green is not an active candidate.

Green received 389 votes in the Aug. 28 primary election. She has a limited presence on social media and limited campaign expenditures.

“The McSally Campaign is astonished Kyrsten Sinema and Arizona PBS won't agree to a debate with the Green Party candidate on stage," Torunn Sinclair, McSally spokeswoman, said in a statement. “The McSally Campaign believes that all three candidates, who have lawfully made the ballot, should be allowed to debate.

“We believe Arizonans deserve a debate, and they deserve an opportunity to see Kyrsten Sinema’s true liberal colors. On Oct. 15, Kyrsten’s not going to be able to hide from her protesting past and her extreme liberal views,” Sinclair said.

Neither candidate would debate her rivals in the primary election.

Sinema asked that health care be a key topic of debate because she says it's the issue she hears about most on the campaign trail. It also aligns with a top Democratic campaign priority this year.

In agreeing to the U.S. Senate debate, Sinema said it was time to focus on "issues Arizonans care about most, not petty attacks and political distractions."

The event originally had been set for later in the evening, but McSally agreed to move the debate earlier to accommodate a scheduling conflict for Sinema.