What to watch for in Ga. U.S. Senate debate

Isakson, Barksdale, Buckley to tangle on TV; debate airs Sunday.

We predict Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson will receive lots of attention today.

The two-term incumbent is the man to catch as Georgia’s three U.S. Senate candidates tangle in the only televised debate of the general election cycle.

Democrat Jim Barksdale and Libertarian Allen Buckley have been chomping at the bit for the chance to throw some punches at the incumbent, who has done little to engage either of his challengers on the campaign trail in recent months.

Until very recently, the race was a sleepy one. With recent polls showing Isakson comfortably ahead by double digits, the Republican has focused on selling his Senate record as he’s made the rounds across the state.

Barksdale has scrambled to build name recognition and a cohesive message after a slow and rocky start. And Buckley, a three-time Senate candidate working with a shoestring budget, has embarked on a scrappy campaign to get the word out to conservatives and independents disaffected with both parties.

The debate is sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club. It tapes today and will air at 6 p.m. Sunday on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Here’s what to watch for:

How much will Isakson have to answer for Donald Trump’s blunders?

Isakson has managed to skate through the past several months unscathed by Trump’s faux pas. He’s done so by walking a fine line: endorsing the Republican nominee but always keeping him at arm’s length. Until recently, Barksdale made no effort to link the two men.

How much does Barksdale on Friday go after Isakson for Trump’s crude remarks about groping women or his refusal to commit to accepting next month’s election results? Can Isakson dodge without alienating the many Georgia Republicans supportive of the presidential nominee?

Will we see a more confident and aggressive Barksdale?

Barksdale was a political newbie when he qualified for the Senate race, and it showed during his first debate appearance before cameras in May. It took the Atlanta investment manager a long time to find his voice on the campaign trail. With a fresh staff of campaign veterans behind him and seven months as a candidate under his belt, do we see a more poised and well-prepared man capable of going after an affable and well-known incumbent? And can the Democrat prove that he can excite voters enough to turn them out?

How much will Isakson’s Senate record drive the discussion?

Isakson has built his campaign around his work in Washington and the idea that he can work with others — including those on the other side of the aisle. His first two ads focused on initiatives he shepherded to protect American Peace Corps volunteers abroad and compensate the victims of the Iran hostage crisis in 1979.

He will look to keep the focus on policy as he tries to convince voters he deserves a third term.

Barksdale and Buckley, meanwhile, plan to spend their time poking holes in Isakson’s record. The Democrat, who has taken up the populist rhetoric of Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, will look to prove that Isakson favors special interests above those of everyday Georgians when it comes to issues such as trade and Wall Street reform. Buckley, meanwhile, has said consistently that Isakson is not a true conservative as the Libertarian looks to poach unhappy GOP voters. Can they keep the heat on Isakson? Or will they let the Republican drive the discussion?

Does Isakson’s Parkinson’s diagnosis come up?

Isakson announced he was suffering from the neurological disease in June 2015, and his openness about his diagnosis has largely prevented the issue from coming up in a negative fashion. However, it emerged earlier this week after his challengers complained about the original format of Friday’s debate.

Buckley said the seated arrangement first proposed by the Atlanta Press Club was designed to benefit Isakson. The chairs have since been replaced with podiums.

Both Barksdale’s and Buckley’s camps say they will not broach the issue, but it’s possible it comes up in a question.