Andy Shaw just told me that ABC7 will be carrying the debate tonight on the Internet live at 7pm. It will be on TV at 10:30.

I just checked the website and they have something up about it, so go here at 7pm and watch the debate.

Consider this a debate open thread.

UPDATE 1: Supposedly, we’ll be able to find the debate link somewhere on this page.

UPDATE 2: Ron Gidwitz just reported loaning his campaign another $830,000.

UPDATE 3: Anyone else having trouble with the Internet feed? The audio and video don’t appear to be synced properly.

UPDATE 4: Same opening statements as last night.

UPDATE 5: Everyone seems so “reasonable” so far. I gotta figure it heats up, though.

UPDATE 6: I’ve met Ron Gidwitz on a few occasions, and he’s so personable and at ease with himself in person. He has such a hard time on TV, though. With all that money you’d think he could have hired a better debate coach.

UPDATE 7: Just in case you’re wondering, I was told today by somebody at ABC7 that since there has been no very recent polling, the League of Women Voters believed it had no choice but to invite Andy Martin to the debate.

UPDATE 8: Last night’s Channel 20 debate moderators aggressively enforced very strict time allotments, and that seems to have spooked Ron Gidwitz tonight, who appears to be abiding by the letter of the ABC7 time rules by abruptly cutting himself off mid-sentence.

UPDATE 9: This has happened before when the debate was staid and the press conference afterwards got insane.

UPDATE 10: Civil, fairly informative, decent debate. Apparently, Oberweis decided he shouldn’t pull another stunt like last night. Chicago is the bigtime and a lot more people will watch tonight’s debate than last night’s. Two meltdowns in a row would have been too much. Still, the press conference awaits. I had the opportunity to go, but just couldn’t. Now, I wish I was there for the after-bang.

UPDATE 11: I just talked to a reporter pal who’s at the debate. Apparently, none of the journalists have much of a lede yet, but they intend to get one at the press conference.

UPDATE 12: Apparently, Oberweis didn’t say anything controversial at the press conference. That overwhelmingly negative coverage today must’ve gotten to him.

UPDATE 13: Illinois Review has some of the few memorable lines from tonight’s debate.

· Internet columnist/candidate Andy Martin said: “Judy Topinka says she’s ‘not one of the boys.’ She’s the bad girl that hangs out with the bad boys.”

· Jim Oberweis said the placing of candidates onstage — from left to right: Topinka, Martin, Gidwitz, Oberweis and Brady — reflected the candidates’ “conservativeness:” “Judy is on the far left, Bill Brady is on the far right, and I’m just right of center.”

· When asked if a bill to ban abortions were to make it to the Governor’s desk, would he or she sign, Judy Baar Topinka said she “still believes in a woman’s right to choose.” “I’m not going to move us back to the 50s,” she said. “I’m not going to throw women under the bus, uh huh. . .”‘

UPDATE 14: If you’re blogging about the debate, or you see someone else has, please post a link in comments.

UPDATE 15: Apparently the biggest “news” out of the debate and post-debate press conference was when all candidates were asked if Gov. Blagojevich should disband his hate crimes commission. According to a reporter I talked to, Bill Brady said something like Blagojevich was choosing his black supporters over his Jewish supporters.

UPDATE 16: The AP story is up.

Republican candidates for governor played nice Wednesday night during a television debate where they disagreed about whether to ban abortion and how to cut money from the state’s budget.

UPDATE 17: At 9:25, ABC7 was starting to put up links to segments of the debates on this page. What this means is you should be able to watch the debate on your own schedule.

FINAL UPDATE: Comments closed. See Thursday’s post.