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8th Congressional District Debate on CWU Campus
October 28, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Central Washington University will be the host site for the sixth installment of the Washington State Debate Coalition’s congressional debate series on Friday, October 28, and members of the public are invited to attend.
Free tickets are available online(link is external) for the 8th Congressional District debate between Rep. Kim Schrier (D) and Matt Larkin (R), scheduled for 7 p.m. in the McConnell Auditorium on the main CWU campus in Ellensburg.
Schrier, a pediatrician, is a two-term incumbent who was elected to the open seat in 2018. She won the all-party primary in August over Larkin, an attorney, who also was a gubernatorial candidate in 2020. Pollsters expect the 8th District race to be one of the more hotly contested U.S. House races in the country during this fall’s midterm elections. The 8th District includes Kittitas and Chelan counties, along with the eastern portions of King and Pierce counties.
CWU also hosted a televised congressional debate in 2018 between Schrier and Dino Rossi (R). The university is proud to have been selected again as one of host sites for the 2022 debate series, which will be broadcast to a statewide audience on TVW.
“Central Washington University is honored to have been chosen as one of the sites for this year’s Congressional debates,” President Jim Wohlpart said. “Providing a forum for civic discourse is one of the many ways we are proud to welcome and engage our community.”
The two-week debate schedule kicks off Saturday, October 15, in Bremerton, followed by events at the University of Puget Sound on October 18, Gonzaga University on October 23, and Seattle University on October 25 (two debates).
The Washington State Debate Coalition, which is sponsoring the event, includes more than 80 news organizations, six major nonpartisan organizations, and 15 Washington state community colleges, colleges, and universities. The coalition is working with nonprofit organization Braver Angels, to organize the debates and candidate forums for U.S. Senate, Secretary of State, U.S. House, and State Senate in the 26th Legislative District.
“This is an exciting election season, and we are pleased to play an integral role in facilitating candidate debates and making sure as many people as possible have an opportunity to see them,” said Alicia Crank, executive director of Seattle CityClub, the coalition’s organizer. “From the environment and education to the economy and elections, it is critical that this year’s candidates share their vision for the future and that we provide voters with direct access to leaders.”