Elections

Democrats Schedule Six Primary Debates

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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CLEVELAND — As Republicans prepare to face off in their first primary debate here tonight, the Democratic National Committee announced Thursday that it has sanctioned six primate debates of its own.

The announcement comes as the party has grappled with how many debates to sanction with front-runner Hillary Clinton — and the other underdogs running for the party’s nomination.

“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Party which is focused on strengthening the middle class versus Republicans who want to pursue out of touch and out of date policies,” said DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Here is the schedule:

— October 13 — CNN — Nevada
— November 14 — CBS/KCCI/Des Moines Register — Des Moines, Iowa
— December 19 — ABC/WMUR — Manchester, N.H.
— January 17 — NBC/Congressional Black Caucus Institute – Charleston, S.C.
— February or March — Univision/Washington Post — Miami
— February or March — PBS — Wisconsin

Not all the Democratic campaigns are happy. A top aide to former Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley criticized the party for limiting the number of debates.

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