A Paducah high school has joined the list of venues proposing to host a senatorial debate between Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell and Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes.
Paducah Tilghman High School students Meg Hancock and Palmer Stroup prompted the school to invite the candidates this week. The two students are part of the speech and debate team, which successfully hosted a local candidate’s forum in 2012.
Hancock and Stroup cited their community’s diversity and the school’s reputation for leadership in speech and debate as points that make Tilghman an ideal venue for a senatorial debate. Students and staff also argue that youth are an important constituency, though commonly overlooked, and the debate would give the student population a great experience in civic and political engagement.
Whether or not the senate candidates accept Tilghman’s invitation, Hancock says the school will host a candidates’ forum for local candidates this fall.