WPSU will offer students and the surrounding community an opportunity to learn more about the candidates hoping to represent Pennsylvania’s Fifth Congressional District tonight.

The Race for the 5th Live Debate between candidates Glenn Thompson and Kerith Strano Taylor — both Penn State graduates –will give voters the chance to hear issues that concern the district during the televised event on WPSU. The debate is one of several events that the candidates take part in leading up to Election Day on Nov. 4.

Glenn Thompson, the Republican candidate, is the current Congressman for the 5th district. Thompson has represented the district since 2008. His key issues include broadening the number of students who are able to receive a “high quality and affordable education” through the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and ensuring that the district’s agricultural industry continues to flourish.

The Democratic candidate, Kerith Strano Taylor, is a self-proclaimed “champion for children and families.” Strano Taylor enrolled as a freshman at Penn State at only 16 years old. She has worked on the Jefferson County Children’s Roundtable and the Federal Relations Network, and she currently serves as the president of the Brookville Area School Board. On education, she notes that “public schools are the pulse of our communities” and wants to strengthen their place in government. Strano Taylor’s other key initiatives include simplifying the tax code and intergovernmental collaboration on efforts for stable job growth.

Questions for the candidates can be submitted to [email protected]. Although the studio audience for the event is full, you can still watch the debate on TV or online at wpsu.org/live at 8 p.m. tonight.