Only debate of Georgia US Senate race set for Friday

ATLANTA (AP) The three candidates for Georgia's U.S. Senate seat will soon meet for the only debate of the campaign.

Republican incumbent Johnny Isakson, Democrat Jim Barksdale and Libertarian Allen Buckley all plan to participate in a debate on Friday in Atlanta. The taped debate airs statewide Sunday on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Polling averages show Isakson has a comfortable lead. But he must get more than 50 percent of the vote on Nov. 8 to prevent a nine-week runoff election.

Barksdale, who owns an investment firm, got a slow start despite loaning his campaign millions. He has more aggressively criticized Isakson's endorsement of Donald Trump in recent weeks after the release of crude comments Trump made in 2005 about groping women.