The Democratic National Committee will announce Tuesday its plans for six presidential primary debates — Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina are for certain, with the other two locations to be decided at a later date.
An increase in presidential primary debates gives opponents more of a chance to duel with the frontrunner, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The debate process won’t begin until fall, a Democratic official told CNN, because that is when “voters are truly beginning to pay attention.”
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Any candidate who participates in a debate outside of the DNC’s sanctioning process will be bared from its future debates, the official told CNN.
“We’ve always believed that we would have a competitive primary process, and that debates would be an important part of that process,” DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. “Our debate schedule will not only give Democratic voters multiple opportunities to size up the candidates for the nomination side-by-side, but will give all Americans a chance to see a unified Democratic vision of economic opportunity and progress — no matter whom our nominee may be.”
The Republican National Committee is holding between nine and 12 presidential primary debates, beginning Aug. 9 in Cleveland.
