Loretta Sanchez, Van Tran to square off in KOCE debate
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
In their only face-to-face confrontation of their heated congressional race to date, Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez and Republican Assemblyman Van Tran, both of Garden Grove, are scheduled to meet Wednesday in their first debate, sponsored by public television station KOCE.
The debate is to air in two half-hour installments this week -- the first segment at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and the second at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, a KOCE spokeswoman said. The programs are also to be available online at video.koce.org by Friday. News anchor Ed Arnold will moderate.
Sanchez and Tran have been locked in an increasingly contentious battle for the inland Orange County 47th Congressional District -- the only one in the county to be represented by a Democrat.
The closely watched race has drawn stars from both political parties, an indication of how important it is in the Nov. 2 fight for control of the House. Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani campaigned with Tran earlier this week, and former President Clinton is scheduled to appear at a rally for Sanchez on Friday.
Human services administrator Cecilia Iglesias, who is on the ballot as an independent, was not invited to participate in the debates, sparking protests at the station’s studios in Huntington Beach. KOCE spokeswoman Lindsey Neal said station officials believe a two-way debate format works best and therefore invited the two top-polling candidates.
-- Jean Merl
