Watch the pre-debate special at 6:30 p.m., the full live debate beginning at 7 p.m., and our post-debate live programming in the player above on Oct. 9.

NORFOLK, Va. (NEXSTAR) The stage is set for former U.S. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and current Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who are set to square off Thursday evening in their only scheduled live debate in the race for Virginia governor.

Virginia is one of two states choosing governors this November, and its election is often seen as a bellwether for the party in power across the Potomac River ahead of midterm elections next year.

Spanberger is the Democratic nominee and Earle-Sears is the Republican candidate on the Nov. 4 ballot. Regardless of who wins, it will be a historic election as Virginia will elect its first female governor.

Hosted exclusively by Nexstar’s WAVY, the debate is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. from the campus of Norfolk State University.

Two recent polls, from Emerson College Polling/The Hill and from Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center, show Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 52% to 42% among likely voters.

After months of lobbing attacks, it will be the first time the two candidates debate face to face.

With the government shut down and President Trump threatening to lay off federal workers – many of whom live in Virginia – the candidates’ talking points are expected to include the president and national political issues.

Spanberger will have the opportunity to paint Earle-Sears as a candidate unable to push back against Trump. Already, the Democrat has pointed out that the Republican president’s threats of imposing mass firings would distinctly impact Virginia, where at least about 315,000 federal workers reside.

Earle-Sears likely will look to tie her Democratic opponent to the federal shutdown after Congress failed to fund the government. Democrats, who have consistently voted against a short-term spending measure, have said they will only vote in support if Congress extends health care subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.

The debate also takes place in the wake of a texting scandal, after The National Review published a report revealing that Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, in 2022 sent text messages suggesting the former Republican House speaker get “two bullets to the head.”

Meantime, Earle-Sears’ campaign has had to field questions after Youngkin unsuccessfully asked Republican John Reid to drop out of the lieutenant governor’s race in connection to a social media account with explicit photos.

HOW TO WATCH

The debate will stream live in a player above, and viewers in the greater Commonwealth will be able to watch a broadcast and online feed available from Nexstar’s WRIC-TV in Richmond, WFXR-TV in Roanoke, DC News Now/WDCW-TV in Washington, D.C., and WJHL-TV and EJHL-TV in Tri-Cities, Tenn.

Pre-debate coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the debate at 7 p.m. The evening will wrap up with post-debate coverage at the conclusion of the event.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.