Tillis joins WRAL debate field
State House Speaker Thom Tillis says he will participate in a WRAL News debate on April 23.
Tillis initially declined the invitation, citing a scheduling conflict.
"Speaker Tillis has cleared the calendar for April 23rd in an effort to participate in the WRAL debate," campaign manager Jordan Shaw wrote Friday afternoon.
Tillis is one of eight candidates running for the Republican nomination to take on U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat. Polls show he is the front-runner in the field.
Dr. Greg Brannon of Cary, Wilkesboro nurse Heather Grant and Rev. Mark Harris of Charlotte also have agreed to participate in the debate. It will air live at 7p.m. on WRAL-TV in the Triangle and WILM-TV in Wilmington. WRAZ-TV Fox 50 will air the debate at 11 p.m. on April 23. The debate will also be available online and available to other broadcast outlets across the state and nation via satellite.
WRAL News extended debate invitations to candidates who reached 10 percent support in polls of likely Republican primary voters.
