Democrats set debate schedule

The first debate for the Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential contenders will take place October 13 in Nevada and be hosted by CNN, the Democratic National Committee announced, just hours before Republican hopefuls face off on stage for the first time in Cleveland (OH). The announcement ends weeks of speculation about the schedule, but it is unlikely to stop the grumbling from some Democratic White House aspirants.

A total of six debates are scheduled, with six different sponsors: Oct. 13 in Nevada (hosted by CNN); Nov. 14 in Des Moines (IA) (CBS/KCCI and The Des Moines Register); Dec. 19 in Manchester (NH) (ABC/WMUR); Jan. 17 in Charleston (SC) (NBC/Congressional Black Caucus Institute); and two scheduled for either February or March in Miami (FL) and Wisconsin, hosted by Univision/The Washington Post and PBS, respectively. The DNC said it would release additional details about debate dates, locations and partnerships soon. The lineup itself does not come as a surprise for Democrats, but for the candidates who wanted more debates to come sooner, the fact that only four will occur before the Iowa caucuses in February is a disappointment. “These six debates will not only give caucus goers and primary voters ample opportunity to hear from our candidates about their vision for our country’s future, they will highlight the clear contrast between the values of the Democratic Party which is focused on strengthening the middle class versus Republicans who want to pursue out-of-touch and out-of-date policies,” DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said.