Democratic candidates debate: What you need to know

NASHVILLE — The leading Democratic candidates for Tennessee governor will debate Tuesday at Belmont University, giving voters one of their clearest views yet of the two ahead of the Aug. 2 primary.

The debate, sponsored by the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee, WSMV and Belmont, is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. It will take place at Belmont’s McAfee Concert Hall.

Here’s what you need to know.

Who are the top Democratic candidates?

Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh, D-Ripley, are the top-tier candidates seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and have campaigned across the state ahead of the primary.

What has the campaign looked like so far?

Dean is the clear frontrunner, both in terms of recent polling and fundraising.

According to a recent Vanderbilt University poll, Fitzhugh trails Dean in terms of name recognition by more than 30 percentage points.

Dean is beating Fitzhugh in terms of name recognition in the three main regions of the state, including in West Tennessee — the home of the longtime House Democrat.

The poll also found that Dean was performing better among independents. Sixty percent of independents had a favorable of Dean, while 31 percent had a negative view.

What about the TV ads?

Dean is set to spend $819,000 on ads touting his candidacy for the Democratic nomination.

Fitzhugh is set to spend just under $12,000 on TV ads in the race, according to an analytics company summary obtained by the USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee.

How to watch the debate?

Watch the debate live at 6 p.m. CT at Commercialappeal.com.