SC’s Lindsey Graham, Bernie Sanders of Vermont to face off in new series of debates

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will take part in the first of three debates that organizers hope will bring back the Senate’s tradition of collegial debate.

The 60-minute debate will take place at 12 p.m. June 13 in Boston’s Kennedy Institute, which has a full-size replica of the U.S. Senate. It will be streamed on Fox Nation.

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a Democrat of South Dakota, proposed the idea because many senators feel the idea of constructive debate has gotten lost in an era of filibusters, the Bipartisan Police Center, one of the debate sponsors, said in a news release Wednesday.

“The goal of The Senate Project debate series is to reintroduce the culture of seeking common ground and consensus that has been the essence of the Senate since it was conceived in 1789.,” the Bipartisan Policy Center said. “We hope it will inspire policymakers to not only make the case for their points of view, but to then work towards the example set by Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Orrin Hatch for bipartisan bridge-building.

In addition to the Bipartisan Policy Center, the debate is sponsored by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute.

Moderator for the debate will be Fox News anchor Bret Baier.

“Sanders and Graham are two of the most prominent members of the Senate and both gifted orators who have a knack for revving up their parties’ bases and infuriating ideological opponents,” Alexander Bolton of The Hill wrote.

The second debate will be broadcast live in July on C-SPAN from George Washington University and hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center. The third will be held by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation in Utah in the fall.

They also will feature a Democrat and Republican.

This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 2:10 PM.