The campaign for Louisiana governor kicks into a higher gear Sept. 15 when seven candidates take the stage for the first Gubernatorial Debate in Lafayette.

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- The campaign for Louisiana governor kicks into a higher gear Sept. 15 when seven candidates take the stage for the first Gubernatorial Debate in Lafayette.

The debate, which will take place at the KLFY studios in Lafayette, will include Jeff Landry, Shawn Wilson, John Schroder, Stephen Waguespack, Sharon Hewitt, Hunter Lundy and Richard Nelson. The participants were chosen as the top seven of the 15 qualified candidates based on statewide polling.

"This is an important part of the political process," said KLFY News Director Michael Sipes. "It is crucial that voters see transparency from their campaigns and candidates to be able make the most informed decision at the voting booth."

The debate will be seen across the state on the six Nexstar stations serving the state, KLFY, WGNO in New Orleans, KTAL in Shreveport, KTVE in Monroe, WVLA in Baton Rouge and WNTZ in Alexandria, as well as one partner station, KWSL in Lake Charles.

"Thanks to our broadcast partner, the Gubernatorial Debate will be available to every household in Louisiana," said KLFY Vice President and General Manager Christopher Cook. "Our commitment is to be Your Local Election Headquarters for the Governor's race and every major state election."

Susan Roesgen from WGNO will host the debate and moderators will be Dalfred Jones from KLFY, Jacque Jovic from KTAL and Fred Childers from WVLA.