Five candidates who want to be Louisiana's next governor will face each other for the first time tonight in a debate that will be carried on WBRZ+ at 7 p.m.

Stream the debate live in the WBRZ app or by clicking here

The gathering in New Orleans will feature three Republicans, one Democrat and one independent who hope to replace Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat from Amite who is not eligible for another term.

Sixteen candidates qualified for the Oct. 14 primary election. The top two finishers will advance to a runoff Nov. 18 unless the top candidate receives more than 50 percent of the ballots cast.

The debate is sponsored by WBRZ, other media outlets statewide, the Urban League of Louisiana and the Public Affairs Research Council. The sponsors said six candidates met the polling-based criteria to be included in the debate but five chose to take part.

Taking the stage tonight:

Republicans: state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, state Treasurer John Schroder and Stephen Waguespack, the former head of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry

Democrat: Shawn Wilson, the former secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development

Independent: Hunter Lundy, a Lake Charles attorney

Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican, is sitting out. His campaign last week criticized the inclusion of the Urban League of Louisiana as a sponsor, saying the nonprofit civil rights organization's "leadership and lobbying has been anti-Trump, anti-Second Amendment, and soft on crime which is devastating our cities and rural communities.”

Tyronne Walker, the group's vice president of policy, strategic partnerships and development, said in an interview with WBRZ he didn't understand the criticism.

"The Urban League of Louisiana is proud to be a non-partisan organization who has been unapologetically advocating on behalf of Black Louisianans and other underserved communities for 85 years," Walker said. "We have no clue why any political candidate would attack us for simply leading and hosting a debate with diverse partners to inform voters." 

The Republican Party of Louisiana called on all of its candidates to skip the Thursday night debate but all other major candidates who met the criteria opted in.

Waguespack told The Associated Press he would "gladly participate” and Schroder told AP that “running away from answering questions ... is not the kind of leadership we need."

Landry has said he will take part in a debate next Friday in Lafayette. That one will be sponsored by the Nexstar Media Group.

In all, eight Republicans entered the race during this year's filing period, as did three Democrats, four independents and one candidate running listed as "no party."