ABC7 Chicago, League of Women Voters present 'Vote 2023: The Candidates Debate' on January 19

CHICAGO (WLS) -- ABC7, Chicago's most-watched television station and the premier broadcaster of countless local debates for more than two decades, will showcase LIVE and WITHOUT COMMERCIALS, "VOTE 2023: THE RACE FOR CHICAGO MAYOR: THE CANDIDATES DEBATE," Thursday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. at the ABC7 Studios, 190 North State Street. ABC7 Eyewitness News anchor Judy Hsu will lead the 90-minute, commercial-free debate among the nine candidates running for mayor of the city of Chicago. The candidates will square off as they also answer questions from ABC7 political reporter Craig Wall and Univision Chicago anchor Enrique Rodriguez.

"VOTE 2023: THE RACE FOR CHICAGO MAYOR: THE CANDIDATES DEBATE" will stream live on abc7chicago.com, ABC7's 24/7 digital stream and News App, ABC7's YouTube account and Facebook. The debate will also air on ABC7's 7.2 channel, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19. Then on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 10:30 p.m., the debate will air on ABC7's main channel, 7.1.

The commercial-free debate will also be simultaneously translated and aired live on Univision's digital platforms (website, app, YouTube channel and Facebook page) and on UNIMAS (WXFT-TV) on Sunday Jan. 22, at 4 p.m.

According to ABC7 Chicago President and General Manager John Idler, "This debate will give Chicago voters an excellent opportunity to examine all nine candidates who believe they deserve to be the mayor of Chicago and evaluate how they respond to tough questions from our moderator and panelists."

Participating in the debate are the following candidates:

About ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago

ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago is the No. 1 local news source and most-watched television station in Chicago. With top-rated daily newscasts spanning decades and the largest social media presence in the market with more than 2.6 million Facebook followers, ABC7 Eyewitness News provides breaking news, investigative reporting, weather, politics, traffic and sports in the multiplatform space toChicago, the suburbs and northwest Indiana. Named Best News Operation by the Associated Press for four consecutive years, ABC 7 Eyewitness News produces "Chicago Proud," a series of features that spotlights everyday heroes in and around Chicago.The station also produces the highest-rated New Year's Eve special in Chicago, holiday kickoff special "The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival," syndicated to a national audience, as well as the award-winning program series "Our Chicago," which showcases the city's diversity and highlights contributions in the Black, Hispanic, Asian, LGBTQ+ communities, among others.Every Friday, Windy City Weekend, entertains while giving Chicagoans everything they need to know about what's happening in the city. ABC 7 is the only Chicago station producing and broadcasting parades representing Chicago's rich cultural history. In addition to producing town halls focused on current social issues, the station has a long and proud tradition of broadcasting political candidate debates keeping Chicago's electorate informed.ABC7's outreach efforts include annual partnerships with the Red Cross for life-saving blood drives, one of the biggest one-day drives in the country and, most recently, spearheading an effort to raise more than $1.5 million for area food pantries.

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