WILL Will Carry Democratic Gubernatorial Debate Thursday Night.

The two Democratic candidates for Illinois governor meet again Thursday in southern Illinois for a debate airing on public broadcasting stations. Illinois Public Media will air the debate live at 8 PM, on WILL-TV and WILL AM 580 ... and on the WILL home page (www.will.illinois.edu).

In their earlier meeting this week in Chicago, the two candidates verbally beat up on each other.

Comptroller Dan Hynes went after Governor Pat Quinn for an early release program for prisoners.

Quinn went after Hynes over his office's oversight in the run-up to the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal.

Expect more of the same in the Thursday night debate in Carbondale.

Quinn has long been the Democratic front-runner and was well ahead in a Tribune poll released in December.

But both campaigns now say their internal polls show the race has tightened.

This is the second of two debates arranged by public broadcasting stations.

Five of the seven Republican candidates for governor met LAST Thursday in Champaign-Urbana.