LEBANON (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen are set to face off in their first debate in a critical race for U.S. Senate in Tennessee.

The two rivals will debate Tuesday evening at Cumberland University in Lebanon. Hosts include The Tennessean, the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, WTVF-TV and WNPT-TV. The event will be broadcast live.

The race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker could be pivotal for the slim 51-49 Republican Senate majority.

A second debate has also been confirmed for Oct. 10 at the University of Tennessee's Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy in Knoxville.