Vanderbilt has announced that the university will host the 2006 Tennessee Senatorial Debate on Oct. 28. The debate will feature Democratic candidate Harold Ford, Jr. and Republican Bob Corker.

Ford and Corker are vying for Republican Bill Frist’s seat, who after 12 years in the Senate, is not seeking re-election.

This year’s debate will be the third and final contest between Ford and Corker and will be broadcast on Channel 5 throughout the state.

“This race has become so high profile, I wouldn’t be surprised if the event got national coverage as well,” Vice Chancellor Michael Schoenfeld said.

The election will be held on Nov. 7 less than two weeks later.

“This is a very important election,” said Schoenfeld, “They are vying for one of a few open seats in the country, which could very well determine the control of the Senate. It’s a competitive race and should be a great debate.”

Schoenfeld also said that this event is very important for the Vanderbilt community.

“Anytime you can have a major civic event like this on campus, it creates great opportunities for students, faculty and others to be a part of the election process,” he said.

“We hope that at Vanderbilt, students become engaged in the civic life of the community, state and country. There is no more important way to become involved than to participate in the debates and to vote.”

Vanderbilt also hosted the Senatorial debate in October 2002.

“We co-hosted with Channel 5 and the League of Women Voters of Tennessee and had a great experience,” said Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Michael Schoenfeld. “So we decided to partner again and pitched a proposal to the campaigns. We are absolutely thrilled.”

The debate in 2002 was a contest between Republican candidate Lamar
Alexander and Democrat candidate Bob Clement. Alexander won the election weeks later.

As of yet, the ticket allocation to the public has not been decided, but Schoenfeld said that Vanderbilt students will have an opportunity to witness the debate firsthand. Tickets should become available later this month.