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CHARLESTON -- Tonight, West Virginia voters will have another chance to see gubernatorial candidates Bill Cole and Jim Justice go head-to-head on issues facing the state as they prepare to go to the polls Nov. 8.
Republican nominee Cole and Democratic nominee Justice will take the stage from 7-8 p.m. tonight at the Clay Center in Charleston.
The debate, sponsored by the West Virginia Broadcasters Association and Citynet, is the second of two scheduled debates between the top candidates seeking to replace term-limited Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.
"The association is proud to carry on their tradition of the live statewide debate, providing West Virginians an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates their plans and initiatives for the future of our state.
As we move forward in these difficult times, an informed voting public will make the best choice in the voters box," said Michele Crist, executive director of the West Virginia Broadcasters Association.
Third-party candidates Phil Hudok of the Constitution Party, David Moran of the Libertarian Party and Charlotte Pritt of the Mountain Party will not be included in the debate.
Tonight's debate will follow a similar format to last week's debate sponsored by the West Virginia Press Association and hosted at the same venue.
A moderator will ask one of the candidates a question, with a limited amount of time to respond and a shorter period for rebuttal by the other candidate.
Both Justice, the billionaire owner of The Greenbrier resort, and Cole, the state Senate president, have been in the news since their first face-to-face meeting on Oct. 4.
A National Public Radio report released last week reveals Justice owes about $15 million in unpaid fines for federal mine safety violations and back taxes in six states.
Cole, meanwhile, attempted to distance himself from lewd comments made by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump on a 2005 audio recording released Friday. Cole, who has endorsed Trump, said in a prepared statement that demeaning women "is never acceptable," but he did not renounce his support for the candidate.