Indiana lieutenant governor candidates Beckwith, Goodin and Hudson to face off in debate

Update 7/30: Libertarian Party nominee Tonya Hudson will also participate in the debate, the party announced Tuesday afternoon. Hudson, of Mitchell, is a real estate broker and former vice chair of the state Libertarian Party.

Indiana's two candidates for lieutenant governor, Republican Micah Beckwith and Democrat Terry Goodin , will go head-to-head on agricultural issues during a debate in two weeks.

The hourlong debate, hosted by the Danville-based AgrIInstitute , will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13 at the Purdue Extension Building on the Indiana State Fairgrounds ― during the height of the Indiana State Fair.

It's free and open to fair attendees, and will also be streamed live on YouTube.

A flyer for the event says the candidates will be asked their views on agricultural and rural issues, and their impact on the state's economy.

These issues make up a significant part of the lieutenant governor's portfolio in Indiana. In addition to the state Department of Agriculture and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, the lieutenant governor also oversees the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and the Indiana Destination Development Corporation, and presides over the state Senate.

Goodin has the most recent professional experience in these fields, having served as Indiana state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rural development program. He stepped down from this post mere days before becoming Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick's endorsed running mate .

Goodin also served 20 years as a state representative for a rural district near Louisville. Though his nomination was contested at the state party's convention in July, Goodin won by a wide margin .

Beckwith, a pastor in Noblesville whose independent grassroots campaign for lieutenant governor managed to overcome Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Braun's own endorsed candidate, had said frequently on the campaign trail that he knows the dairy industry well from helping out with the family business.

His father, Jon Beckwith, invented the ice cream flavor Moose Tracks, and would go on to invent more flavors under the business Denali Alaskan Classics, according to a 1999 article from the Times Herald in Port Huron, Michigan.

Gerry Dick, president of Inside INdiana Business, will moderate the debate. A panel of industry experts will come up with the questions, executive director Beth Archer said.

AgrIInstitute, originally formed in 1982 as the Indiana Institute of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition, is a nonprofit focused on leadership development in the agriculture space.

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17 .

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana lieutenant governor candidates Beckwith, Goodin and Hudson to face off in debate