Five of the six candidates vying for District 19's State Senate seat faced off on issues facing that district. One topic every candidate agreed with, the need for more affordable housing.
News Channel 5’s Vicki Yates moderated the debate between three democratic candidates and one independent candidate who challenged each other's positions and took questions from audience members at MeHarry's Cal Turner Family Center.
Democrats Howard Jones, Brenda Gilmore, Sandra Moore, George Thomas and independent candidate Rueben Dockery attended the debate. Independent candidate Christina “Chris” Callaway was not in attendance.
One of those candidates will take Senator Thelma Harper's seat, Harper was the first African-American woman elected to the State Senate in the early 90s.
During Thursday's debate the candidates also discussed and mostly agreed on the need for quality healthcare and education.
Election Day is August, 2.
