The 2024 presidential debates have been unveiled
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The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday that the three 2024 presidential debates will be held next year on Sept. 16, Oct. 1 and Oct. 9.
Driving the news: The first presidential debate will take place at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, followed by Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia and University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
- The sole vice presidential debate is set to take place on Sept. 25 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
- "The United States' general election debates, watched live worldwide, are a model for many other countries: the opportunity to hear and see leading candidates address serious issues in a fair and neutral setting," CPD co-Chairs Frank Fahrenkopf and Antonia Hernández said in a statement.
State of play: Former President Trump has skipped all three Republican primary debates, and has urged the Republican National Committee to cancel the remaining primary debates.
- Trump has said that he wants to debate President Biden.
- "He and I have to definitely debate. That's what I love. The two of us have to debate," Trump said on Fox News in June.
- The Biden campaign has not yet said whether he plans to participate in the debates.
Zoom out: The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, formed in 1987 and sponsored by Republicans and Democrats, has sponsored every presidential debate since the election in 1988.
- To qualify for next year's debates, candidates must appear on "enough state ballots to have at least a mathematical chance of securing an Electoral College majority," per the commission.
- Candidates must also have an average of 15% in five national polls.
Between the lines: The Republican National committee voted to withdraw from the commission last year, citing concerns over bias against Republicans.
- The RNC earlier this year warned that it might try to bar Republican presidential nominees from taking part in debates.
- "The CPD's plans for 2024 will be based on fairness, neutrality and a firm commitment to help the American public learn about the candidates and the issues," the commission said in a statement to Axios at the time.
What's next: The format and moderators for the presidential and vice presidential debates will be announced in 2024, the commission said.
- The debates will last 90 minutes with no commercial breaks.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with a map showing U.S. presidential debate sites since 1960.
