Montana gubernatorial debates scheduled for Saturday

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Four of Montana's five gubernatorial candidates are scheduled to participate in a virtual debate on Saturday.

The debates _ one for each major party _ will be taped Saturday afternoon and aired at 7 p.m. on SWX channels.

Missoula businesswoman Whitney Williams and Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney will debate for the Democrats while Attorney General Tim Fox and state Sen. Al Olszewski of Kalispell will participate in the Republican debate.

Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte declined to participate, citing a scheduling conflict.

The debate is sponsored by the Montana Farmers Union and will include agricultural topics such as country-of-origin labeling, healthcare and COVID-19 as it relates to agriculture.