A judge will decide today whether to force U.S. Senate candidate Troy Hebert into the race’s first televised debate planned for Oct. 18—or to stop the debate altogether, The Associated Press reports.
Hebert, a former state lawmaker running without party affiliation, filed a lawsuit challenging the criteria that excluded him from the debate being held by Louisiana Public Broadcasting and the Council for A Better Louisiana.
A two-day hearing on Hebert’s injunction request is expected to wrap up today with a ruling from Judge Tim Kelley. Hebert, who is not a lawyer, has been representing himself in court.
Only five of the 24 Senate candidates met the debate criteria, which required participants to have raised at least $1 million and polled at 5% support. Hebert is not fundraising for his campaign.
The debate, which is slated to take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Louisiana Tech University, features U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, U.S. John Fleming and state Treasurer John Kennedy, all Republicans, as well as Democrat Caroline Fayard.
