Albert Lea is hosting its first forum of the election season on Saturday at Southwest Middle School.

Sponsored by the DFL Party for the 1st Congressional District, it will include DFL candidates from around the state vying for the governor seat.

The forum starts at 1 p.m. in the Little Theatre at Southwest Middle School.

We encourage as many people as possible to attend the forum, as it is a great opportunity to hear first-hand from the candidates on issues that affect the state, to see how they handle pressure and to witness how they interact with others.   There is also a 30-minute reception after the forum for people to mingle one-on-one with the candidates.

We hope there are other forums in the future in Albert Lea for Republican gubernatorial candidates as well as other city, county and state offices.

We have a long road ahead of us until Election Day on Nov. 6, and there’s a lot to take in about how candidates stand on issues both at a local and state level. We encourage you to start early to learn about each candidate.

Looking ahead, the precinct caucuses are Feb. 6, and the primary election is Aug. 14.