Politics & Government

It's Debate Night, Rochester

First up: a candidate forum with Rep. Tom McMillin and challenger Joanna VanRaaphorst. Next: the presidential debate on national television.

Although everyone across the country will be talking about the presidential debate tonight, there are local politics to watch, too.

The League of Women Voters Oakland Area is sponsoring a candidate forum for State Representative for the 45th District at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Rochester Hills City Hall. The forum will feature Rep. Tom McMillin and challenger Joanna VanRaaphorst.

Anyone can attend the public forum, which will also be broadcast live on Rochester Hills Television and online at rochesterhills.org. Members of the audience will have the entire hour to ask the candidates questions. 

Find out what's happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

McMillin is seeking his third term in office; he is a certified public accountant and a former Oakland County Commissioner. He lives in Rochester Hills.

VanRaaphorst, a Democrat, is seeking her first public office; she is a businesswoman and community volunteer. She lives in Oakland Township.

Find out what's happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Later tonight, broadcast on national television, Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Democratic incumbent President Barack Obama will discuss domestic policy in the first presidential debate.

Jim Lehrer of PBS' NewsHour will moderate the first debate as the candidates focus on domestic policy. The debate will be divided into six time segments; Lehrer will open each segment with a question and each candidate will have two minutes to respond.

The debate will run from 9 to 10:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and C-SPAN, as well as cable news channels including CNN, MSNBC and more. The debate will be streamed live online here. Patch sites across Michigan will host a live discussion during the presidential debate; access that discussion here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Rochester-Rochester Hills