Decorah voters will have an opportunity to hear from candidates for federal, state and Winneshiek County offices during a free, nonpartisan forum at Luther College on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026.

The Center for Ethics and Public Engagement, or CEPE, will host the event at 7 p.m. in the Center for Faith and Life Recital Hall. The forum is open to the public and also will be livestreamed on YouTube.

How the Luther College forum will work

Carly Foster, a Luther College professor of political science, will begin by explaining the public offices represented by the participating candidates. Each candidate will then give a three-minute introductory statement.

A moderated question-and-answer session will follow. Questions will be submitted in writing by audience members, according to Luther College.

The CEPE invited candidates from every party who are running for federal, state and local offices listed on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Twelve candidates accepted the invitation.

Andy Hageman, director of the CEPE and a Luther professor of English, said the event is intended to create a constructive setting for political discussion.

“With intentional protocols and a code of conduct for candidates and audience members, this forum seeks to be a respectful and positive experience of democracy for all,”

Hageman said.

Candidates listed as planning to attend

Luther College said campaign schedules can change, so attendance by any particular candidate is not guaranteed. The candidates who have indicated they will attend are:

  • U.S. Senate: Thomas Laehn, Libertarian.
  • U.S. House, District 2: Dave Bushaw, independent, and Lindsay James, Democrat.
  • Secretary of State: Ryan Peterman, Democrat.
  • Auditor of State: Taylor Wettach, Democrat.
  • Treasurer of State: John Norwood, Democrat.
  • State Representative, District 63: Michael R. Bergan, Republican, and Jeff Thurlow, Democrat.
  • Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors, District 2: Mark Faldet, Democrat, and Daniel W. Kirkeby, Republican.
  • Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors, District 1: Patrick Ryan, Democrat.
  • Winneshiek County Attorney: Charles Crain.

The forum is part of the CEPE’s public-engagement programming at Luther College. Residents who cannot attend in person will be able to watch through the college’s YouTube livestream, while those attending in the recital hall will be able to submit written questions for the moderated discussion.