Chamber dinner may include 1st Corbett-Wolf debate

A Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry dinner in Hershey next month is shaping up as the likely venue for the first debate between Gov. Tom Corbett and Tom Wolf.

On its website, the chamber is touting the Sept. 22 dinner and debate, as well as a keynote speech by retired NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.

The group’s president and CEO, Gene Barr, said Friday he’s “pretty confident” that Republican Corbett and Democrat Wolf will square off before an expected crowd of about 1,600 business leaders and lawmakers.

The annual dinner has become the traditional kickoff for Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial debates every four years.

The campaigns are negotiating over the general-election debate schedule and declined to confirm any details. But neither side suggested its candidate would not attend the Hershey dinner.