Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Republican state Sen. Jim Oberweis are set to meet for the first debate of the U.S. Senate race.

The candidates are scheduled to face off Wednesday at a debate sponsored by ABC 7, the League of Women Voters and Univision Chicago.

Oberweis is a dairy entrepreneur from Sugar Grove who was elected to the Illinois Senate in 2012. He says Durbin has lost touch with Illinois voters since he first went to Washington more than three decades ago. Oberweis says he knows how to create jobs and improve the economy.

Durbin, of Springfield, is the second-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate. He's seeking his fourth U.S. Senate term.

Durbin says he's reaped billions of dollars of federal funds and other valuable benefits for Illinois.