It appears there will be three congressional debates in October in Maine’s hotly contested 2nd District.

Both candidates agreed to a trio of debates within a six-day period beginning Oct. 3. None are scheduled for Lewiston, the 2nd District’s largest city.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a third-term Lewiston Democrat, is seeking to fend off Republican challenger Austin Theriault, a first-term state representative from Fort Kent.

Each of the contenders Tuesday challenged the other to accept three debates with agreed-on sponsors. The details were the same, though Golden added a few rules that appear routine.

• The first debate would be held Thursday, Oct. 3, and hosted by WGME-TV and the Bangor Daily News.

• The next debate would be Monday, Oct. 7, hosted by News Center Maine and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.

• The final debate would be held Wednesday, Oct. 9. It would be hosted by WABI-TV and WAGM-TV.

“The schedule ensures debates will begin before absentee voting and accommodates the congressional schedule,” Golden’s campaign said.

Golden’s campaign said each debate should last for one hour and be held in a television studio with no audience. They would have no more than two moderators.

It said the questions should be “substantive and focus on issues of local and national importance, including but not limited to the candidates’ records and positions on the economy, immigration and border security, national defense, public safety, and civil and personal rights and freedoms.”

Golden specifically said neither candidate should be asked any “rapid-fire, yes-or-no, or ‘lightning round’ questions.”

Theriault’s campaign said it had no problems with his requests.

“We’re fine with these terms,” it posted on social media.

The Maine Trust for Local News, in coordination with Maine Public, invited the Golden campaign to a debate at Maine Public’s Lewiston office on July 30. Golden staff acknowledged the invitation and said they would get back to METLN, which includes the Lewiston Sun Journal, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel and Portland Press Herald. As of late Tuesday, the campaign had not communicated whether it was accepting or rejecting the invitation.