GOP hopefuls debate in Whitefish

Five politicians get a chance to give the performance of their lives Wednesday when they converge on the Whitefish Performing Arts Center for the first local gubernatorial debate of the year.

Five of the seven Republicans running for governor in the June 5 primary have confirmed they will attend the annual “Politics at the PAC” event.

In attendance will be Corey Stapleton, Ken Miller, Rick Hill, Neil Livingstone and Jim Lynch. Also invited were Bob Fanning and Jim O’Hara.

The debate is preceded by a catered luncheon at 11:30 in the lobby of the theater. Tickets cost $20 for Whitefish Chamber members or $25 for non-members. The debate gets started at noon and lasts for approximately 90 minutes.

The debate is sponsored by the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, the Daily Inter Lake, the Flathead Business and Industry Association, the Flathead Building Association and KCFW-TV. Moderators will be Frank Miele, managing editor of the Inter Lake, and Steve Fetveit, longtime news anchor at the local NBC affiliate.

Decision time is looming in the seven-way GOP gubernatorial race: Early voting begins Monday, May 7.