Both campaigns agreed to the change after Trump scheduled a Durant rally the same day. OETA says the recording will have no stops or edits.
OKLAHOMA CITY — OETA will record the gubernatorial debate between Mike Mazzei and Cyndi Munson at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, and broadcast it in full at 7 p.m. on OETA and its digital platforms.
The network had planned a live debate. But President Donald Trump’s rally in Durant that evening affected the candidates’ schedules, OETA said. Mazzei plans to attend the rally.
In a programming update, OETA said both campaigns agreed to the earlier recording. Once it begins, there will be no stops or edits, and representatives of both campaigns will be in the studio to observe.
Munson’s campaign said she intends to discuss public education, health care access, tax relief for working Oklahomans and relations with tribal nations. Her campaign has scheduled a debate watch party at Lively Beerworks in Oklahoma City, where she will be available for interviews after the broadcast.
Mazzei said he plans to discuss his proposals to eliminate the state income tax, abolish property taxes for seniors and veterans, and bring what he calls the “Mississippi model” to Oklahoma education.
The debate will air again on OETA at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. It is the only general-election debate Mazzei and Munson have agreed to. Mazzei has said he will participate in no others; Munson remains open to additional debates.
