The Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montana Foundation are teaming up to present an online debate via ZOOM featuring all five of the gubernatorial candidates from both parties.

Ron Davis, Chair of the Greater Montana Foundation said the debate will be held this Saturday, May 2 with each of the candidates live via ZOOM from their homes.

“With the candidates inability to go out and visit with the citizens of Montana by visiting our hometowns and getting out on the street and see what Montanans have on their minds and what they stand for,” said Davis. “The Greater Montana Foundation and the Montana Broadcasters Association got together and said now, more than ever, it’s important that we provide Montanans with an opportunity to listen to the people who want to lead our state, to the candidates who would love to be the governor of the state of Montana.”

Davis laid out the format of the debate.

“The first debate will be between the Democratic candidates who would like to be your governor, they are Mr. Mike Cooney and Whitney Williams,” he said. “Then the three Republican candidates will debate and they are Attorney General Tim Fox, Congressman Greg Gianforte and Dr. Al Olszewski  will be on, so there will be two different debates, one for the Dems and one for the Republicans and they will run back to back between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on most Montana broadcast stations.”

Davis said the questions will come from Montana’s foremost TV News personalities.

“There will be anchors from three of Montana’s television stations, and that’s one from each of the three different groups in Montana asking the questions,” he said. “They’ll be in their studios to ask their questions through their ZOOM media. They will ask their questions and the candidates will have their opportunities to answer, and we’ll rotate through and the candidates will be asked questions by different journalists throughout the debate.”

The panelists will be Mike Dennison, the chief political reporter for the Montana Television Network, Cyndy Koures is Assistant News Director at NBC Montana and Taylor Tucker, an award-winning anchor, reporter and producer at KFBB in Great Falls.

More From Newstalk KGVO 1290 AM & 98.3 FM