Spectrum News will host a live debate between the candidates for New York's 18th Congressional District on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan and Republican challenger Alison Esposito will face off at 7 p.m. at Marist College in the race for one of New York’s most competitive seats in the House of Representatives.

Ryan was the former Ulster County executive before being elected to Congress in a special election in 2022. Esposito is a former NYPD officer who ran for lieutenant governor alongside Lee Zeldin that same year.

The debate will be moderated by Spectrum News political anchors Susan Arbetter and Errol Louis. Spectrum News will make the debate available to the general public through the Spectrum News app or by going to Spectrumlocalnews.com/live.

The debate will be available on Spectrum News NY1 in New York City, in upstate New York on Spectrum News 1 on channel 1, and via the Spectrum News app on mobile, Xumo Steam Box, Roku and Apple TV streaming devices.

Attendance other than members of the media are reserved for Marist students, faculty and staff.

The 18th Congressional District is made up of parts of Orange, Dutchess, and Ulster counties, and includes the cities of Poughkeepsie and Kingston. It is part of a trifecta of House races in the Hudson Valley that were close in the 2022 midterm elections. Since Republicans flipped two of those seats, and with the GOP having a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, the region is being sought after by both major parties and could determine control of the House of Representatives.