Lakeland PBS Debate Night 2026 Schedule
Thu, 09/17/2026 - 11:41am
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Lakeland PBS Announces Debate Night 2026 Schedule, Providing Unedited
Access to Local Candidates
NORTHERN MN: As election season approaches across Minnesota, Lakeland PBS is proud to
announce the schedule for its flagship public affairs series, Debate Night 2026. Continuing a 25-
year station tradition, the annual series provides voters across Northern and Central Minnesota
with direct, unedited, and nonpartisan access to local broadcast debates featuring state legislative
candidates.
Broadcast live from Lakeland PBS’s Bemidji and Brainerd studios, Debate Night 2026 offers a
vital, unscripted platform where candidates address key regional issues facing local
communities.
To ensure a thorough, well-rounded discussion, Lakeland PBS is once again partnering with
trusted local media organizations. Panelists for this year’s debates will feature journalists and
representatives from The Bemidji Pioneer, The Brainerd Dispatch, Park Rapids Enterprise, and
KAXE/KBXE Northern Community Radio.
"We have been producing Debate Night since 2000, and it is a production we are proud to offer
to our region every election cycle," said Jeff Hanks, CEO of Lakeland PBS. "It is such an
important resource for community members to hear directly in an unedited, authentic forum. We
know how much our local viewers value having an accessible, reliable way to learn more about
the issues shaping our region before casting their votes."
Debate Night 2026 Broadcast Schedule
All debates air live on Lakeland Prime at the following dates and times:
Monday, October 5
• 7:00 p.m. — House District 2A: Representative Bidal Duran (R) vs. Reed Olson (DFL)
• 8:00 p.m. — House District 2B: Representative Matt Bliss (R) vs. Emily Thabes (DFL)
• 9:00 p.m. — Senate District 2: Senator Steve Green (R) vs. Dan R. Rogers (DFL) vs.
Calvin Larson Jr. (UNI)
Tuesday, October 6
• 7:00 p.m. — House District 5A: Representative Krista Knudsen (R) vs. Dan Mitchell
(DFL)
• 8:00 p.m. — House District 7A: Representative Spencer Igo (R) vs. Erin McCabe
Ningen (DFL)
• 9:00 p.m. — Senate District 5: Representative Mike Wiener (R) vs. Skylar Fynboh
(DFL)
Thursday, October 8
• 7:00 p.m. — House District 5B: Maggie Evers (DFL) vs. Jonathan Claussen (R)
• 8:00 p.m. — House District 6A: Representative Ben Davis (R) vs. Samuel Grigsby
(DFL)
Friday, October 9
• 7:00 p.m. — House District 6B: Representative Josh Heintzeman (R) vs. Nicky Hardy
(DFL)
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