Moderator Dee Sarton opened the 1^st Congressional District debate tonight at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa with a quote from a listener, who sent in this message: “So sad primetime line-up is being interrupted for the same-old, it’s someone else’s fault campaign crud.” Sarton urged the two candidates, Congressman Raul Labrador and Democratic challenger Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, to keep that viewer in mind as they delivered their opening comments – and try to persuade voters not to switch to the 24/7 cable channel for the regularly scheduled program, “The Voice.”

“I know The Voice is important - my family loves it and my family loves watching the show,” Labrador said mid-way through his opening statement.