Voters in Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District will have a chance to see incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Russell debate Democratic challenger Kendra Horn at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24.
As with six other political debates this election season, NonDoc will sponsor the event in partnership with the non-partisan group Generation Citizen, which promotes civic engagement among young people.
The one-hour debate will be held at City Presbyterian Church, 829 N.W. 13th St., in Oklahoma City. NonDoc will be working with News 9 will also stream the debate live across Facebook pages and News9.com.
Aaron Brilbeck of News 9 and Caroline Halter of KGOU will ask the candidates questions during the debate. Those interested in attending can (but are not required to) RSVP on Facebook.
About the candidates
A native of Del City who achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, Russell was first elected to the U.S. House in 2014 after serving in the Oklahoma State Senate. As a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Russell periodically releases his Waste Watch reports, which seek to document questionable government spending.
An attorney, Horn originally hails from Chickasha, and her professional career has consisted largely of running nonprofit organizations and political consulting. In the August runoff-primary, Horn trounced opponent Tom Guild, accruing about three-fourths of the total vote.
Thank you to debate sponsors
A series of financial debate sponsors will help NonDoc ensure the debate is widely publicized and distributed. The following organizations are supporting this public debate for an important office:
- AARP Oklahoma
- The Wind Coalition
- McSpadden, Milner and Robinson
- Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association
- Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association
- FKG Consulting
- OK2030 (an initiative of the State Chamber Research Foundation)
CD 5 and the election
Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District includes the entirety of Pottawatomie County (Shawnee) and Seminole County, as well as the vast majority of Oklahoma County. A squarish portion of Oklahoma County lies within the state’s 4th Congressional District, including Tinker Air Force Base and much of Midwest City.
Today is the final day for voters to register in Oklahoma, and information on absentee voting can be found on the State Election Board website.
The general election will be Tuesday, Nov. 6.
(Editor’s note: This post was updated at 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, to add additional sponsors.)
