For the third US presidential election campaign in a row, the Kyiv Post is hosting a debate in Ukraine featuring two Americans, one representing the Republican Party candidate and the other representing the Democratic Party candidate. The hour-long debate will be live-streamed on the Kyiv Post website, Facebook page, and YouTube page.
The newspaper’s executive director and chief editor, Brian Bonner, will moderate the discussion between Republican Chris Holzen and Democrat Reno Domenico, who has participated in all three debates — 2012, 2016, and now 2020. This debate will not have a live audience because of COVID-19 concerns.
Holzen is chairman of the Ukraine chapter of Republicans Overseas. Holzen moved to Kyiv in 1995 and supports Ukraine’s democratic transition through various private and US government-supported initiatives He is a native of Nashville, Tennessee. The mission of Republicans Overseas is to inspire the nine million Americans living overseas to engage more fully in the U.S. democratic political process through the provision of briefings, policy research, and advocacy.
Republican Chris Holzen of Tennessee, “The Volunteer State”
Domenico is president of Sterling Business School in Kyiv, Ukraine. Sterling Business School, in partnership with Rowan University in New Jersey USA, specializes in Lean Six Sigma training and implementation with clients across Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Europe, the Middle East, and the USA. He has been active in Ukraine since before the end of the Soviet Union, and since 2008 he has been either chairman or vice chairman of Democrats Abroad Ukraine, the overseas branch of the American Democratic Party. Reno has been an active Democratic leader in the U.S., serving in multiple party positions, including chairman of the Camden City Democratic Committee in New Jersey.
Democrat Reno Domenico of New Jersey, the “Garden State”
Bonner has been chief editor of the Kyiv Post since 2008. The Wisconsin native spent most of his career in Minnesota working for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the state’s second-largest newspaper. He is a permanent resident of Ukraine.
Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner will moderate the debate. He is from Minnesota, “The Land of 10,000 Lakes.”
The debate will take place in the Kyiv Post newsroom at 68 Zhylianska St.
Here is the video from the 2012 US presidential debate pitting Republican Brian Mefford, arguing Mitt Romney’s case, vs. Domenico, arguing for the reelection of Barack Obama.
Here is the video from the 2016 US presidential debate pitting Republican Jonathan Roseland, arguing Donald J. Trump’s case, vs. Domenico, arguing Hillary Clinton’s case.
