2016 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums

none January 2025 A total of ten debates occurred among candidates in the campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination for the president of the United States in the 2016 presidential election (This was in contrast to 12 Republican debates.). Several forums, in which candidates do not respond directly to each other, were later also announced, with the support of the DNC.https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/257586-dnc-announces-new-2016-forum/ Dems announce new 2016 forum after criticism for lack of debates The Hill October 21, 2015 Kamisar, Ben Presidential debates Schedule The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced on May 5, 2015, that there would be 6 debates, which they considered "a reasonable number and in line with what the national committee sanctioned in 2008."http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/05/politics/2016-democratic-debates-hillary-clinton/ First on CNN: Clinton, Democratic presidential opponents to debate six times CNN.com May 5, 2015 Preston, Mark On August 6, 2015, the DNC announced the locations for all six original debates, with exact venues still to be determined, and the specific dates for the first four debates.https://medium.com/@DWStweets/announcing-the-democratic-debate-schedule-d8e284513221 Announcing the Democratic Debate Schedule medium.com August 6, 2015 Wasserman Schultz, Debbie In late January 2016, trailing the New Hampshire primary race, the Clinton campaign requested a second New Hampshire debate, which had already been scheduled to February 4, to be officially sanctioned by the DNC. The Sanders campaign said they would only agree with that proposal if a total of four additional debates would be held, one in February, March, April and May each. Both campaigns agreed to a March 3 debate in Flint, Michigan. There also seemed to be agreement on a California debate on May 24, but not at the remaining April 14 debate in Brooklyn, New York, as proposed by Sanders.Gabriel Debenedetti Hadas Gold DNC moving to assert control as more Democratic debates agreed Politico https://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/clinton-and-sanders-four-more-debates-218448 January 30, 2016 March 30, 2016 On February 3, just ahead of the second New Hampshire debate, Clinton's and Sanders's campaigns agreed in principle to holding four more debates, also sanctioned by the DNC, for a total of 10.Greg Sargent It's on: Looks like we're getting four more Democratic debates The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/02/03/its-on-looks-like-were-getting-four-more-democratic-debates/ February 3, 2016 March 30, 2016 + Debates among candidates for the 2016 Democratic Party U.S. presidential nominationThe 2016 Primary Debate Schedule https://www.democrats.org/more/the-2016-primary-debate-schedule Democrats.org Democratic Party 17 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160413030351/http://www.democrats.org/more/the-2016-primary-debate-schedule 13 April 2016 dead No. Date Time Place Sponsor(s) Inviteesa *black #99ff99  P  Participant    black #5FC  I  Invitee (to a future debate)    black #ff9999  N  Non-invitee  black #ffffdd  A  Absent invitee grey #ececec  O  Out of race (exploring or withdrawn)ChafeeClintonO'MalleySandersWebb DNC sanctioned debates 1Tue Oct. 13, 2015 5:30 p.m. PDTWynn Las VegasParadise, NVCNN/FacebookPPPPP 2Sat Nov. 14, 2015 8 p.m. CSTDrake UniversityDes Moines, IACBS News/KCCI/The Des Moines Register/TwitterOPPPO 3Sat Dec. 19, 2015 8 p.m. ESTSt. Anselm CollegeGoffstown, NHABC News Democrats Revoke Debate Sponsorship of WMUR, New Hampshire TV Station https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/12/11/democrats-revoke-debate-sponsorship-of-wmur-new-hampshire-tv-station/ The New York Times - First Draft 2015-12-11 2015-12-11 Nick CorasanitiOPPPO 4Sun Jan. 17, 20169 p.m. ESTGaillard CenterCharleston, SCNBC News/YouTube/CongressionalBlack Caucus InstituteOPPPO 5Thu Feb. 4, 20169 p.m. ESTUniversity of New HampshireDurham, NHMSNBCOPOPO 6Thu Feb. 11, 20168 p.m. CSTUniversity of Wisconsin–MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WIPBS/WETA-TV/FacebookOPOPO 7Sun Mar. 6, 20168 p.m. ESTThe Whiting in Flint Cultural CenterRidley, Gary. (2016-2-22) "Details set for Flint presidential debate with CNN and Anderson Cooper." mlive.com February 23, 2016Flint, MICNNOPOPO8Wed Mar. 9, 20169 p.m. ESTMiami Dade CollegeMiami, FLUnivision/The Washington Post/CNNOPOPO9Thu Apr. 14, 20169 p.m. EDTDuggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn Navy YardBrooklyn, NYCNN/NY1OPOPO10May 2016N/ASan Francisco, California (canceled)Fox News ChannelNNNNN*aParticipating in at least one debate listed above:   Former Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of New York Former Gov. Martin O'Malley of Maryland Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont Former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia Ratings The following table lists the ratings (number of estimated viewers) of the debates to date. Debate Date Viewers Network 1 October 13, 2015 15.8 million CNN 2 November 14, 2015 8.5 million CBS 3 December 19, 2015 7.8 million ABC 4 January 17, 2016 10.2 million NBC 5 February 4, 2016 4.5 million MSNBC 6 February 11, 2016 8.0 millionBattaglio Stephen https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-democratic-debate-ratings-20160212-story.html Democratic debate with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders draws 8 million viewers on CNN and PBS Los Angeles Times February 12, 2016 February 12, 2016 PBS 7 March 6, 2016 5.5 millionStelter Brian Democratic debate draws far fewer viewers than GOP face-off https://money.cnn.com/2016/03/07/media/cnn-democratic-debate-flint-ratings/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160308114355/http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/07/media/cnn-democratic-debate-flint-ratings/ dead March 8, 2016 2016-03-08 CNN 2016-03-07 CNN 8 March 9, 2016 5.9 millionhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tv-ratings-latest-dem-debate-874216 TV Ratings: Latest Dem Debate Brings Nearly 6 Million Viewers Michael O'Connell March 10, 2016 The Hollywood Reporter Univision/CNN 9 April 14, 2016 5.6 millionhttps://www.yahoo.com/tv/democratic-debate-cnn-draws-5-6-million-viewers-194924581.html Democratic debate on CNN draws 5.6 million viewers Yahoo.com 2016-04-15 2016-07-18 2016-10-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20161006104404/https://www.yahoo.com/tv/democratic-debate-cnn-draws-5-6-million-viewers-194924581.html dead CNN/NY1 USA 400 Sites of the 2016 Democratic primary debates Map of United States showing sites of 2016 Democratic primary debates USA CNNLas Vegas 75 top 36.175 -115.136389 USA CBSDes Moines 75 bottom 41.590833 -93.620833 USA ABCGoffstown 75 left 42.990833 -71.463611 USA NBCCharleston 75 right 32.783333 -79.933333 USA MSNBCDurham 75 right 43.133889 -70.926389 USA PBSMilwaukee 75 top 43.052222 -87.955833 USA UnivisionMiami 75 right 25.775278 -80.208889 USA CNNFlint 75 bottom 43.100000 -83.690000 USA CNNNew York 75 bottom 40.7127 -74.0059 Tuesday October 13, 2015 – Paradise, Nevada Candidate Airtime Pollshttp://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_democratic_presidential_nomination-3824.html 2016 Democratic Presidential Nomination March 6, 2016 Real Clear PoliticsClinton28:05 43.3%Sanders31:05 25.1% Webb 15:35 0.9% O'Malley 17:56 0.4% Chafee 9:11 0.3% The Democratic Party's first presidential debate ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election was held on October 13, 2015, at the Wynn Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Starting at 8:30 p.m. and ending at 11:00 p.m. Eastern time,http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/11/politics/cnn-democratic-debate-podium-order/ Cnn Las Vegas to host Democratic president debate CNN September 9, 2015 Matt Guillermo it aired on CNN and was broadcast on radio by Westwood One.Preston Mark CNN debate criteria would allow Joe Biden to participate http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/28/politics/joe-biden-democratic-presidential-debate/ CNN.com 2015-09-28 2015-09-29 Anderson Cooper was the moderator of the debate,Parker Ashley Anderson Cooper to Moderate First Democratic Debate https://www.nytimes.com/live/second-republican-debate-cnn-election-2016/anderson-cooper-to-moderate-first-democratic-debate/ The New York Times September 16, 2015 with Dana Bash and Juan Carlos Lopez asking additional questions and Don Lemon presenting questions submitted by voters via Facebook. To be invited to the debate, a candidate had to achieve an average of at least 1% in three recognized national polls released between August 1 and October 10. In addition, a candidate had to either file a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission or declare that one would be filed by October 14, the day after the debate.Candidate Criteria for the October 13, 2015 CNN-Facebook Democratic Presidential Primary Debate http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2015/images/09/28/final-democratic-criteria-2016.pdf CNN.com 2015-09-29 The latter criterion would have accommodated Vice President Joe Biden had he decided to enter the presidential race as late as the day of the debate. CNN had an extra lectern available to install for Biden, but he took no action to enter the campaign before the debate.Fabian Jordan Biden will watch Dem debate in DC https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/256792-biden-will-watch-dem-debate-in-dc/ The Hill 2015-10-13 2015-10-13 Analysis on the debate was largely mixed regarding who, between the top two candidates, won. Some analysts from CNN and BBC viewed Clinton as the winner,https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34492225 A polished Clinton parries Sanders in Democratic debate BBC News October 14, 2015 October 14, 2015https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/256869-clinton-scores-big-in-first-debate/ Clinton scores big in first debate Niall Stanage The Hill October 14, 2015 October 14, 2015 while other publications such as The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Fox News Channel, claimed that Sanders was the winner.https://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/14/who-won-the-first-democratic-debate.html Who won the first Democratic debate? CNBC 14 October 2015 October 14, 2015http://www.ibtimes.com/who-won-cnn-democratic-debate-clinton-sanders-praised-performance-2140414 Who won CNN Democratic Debate: Clinton, Sanders' performances praised IB Times 13 October 2015 October 14, 2015https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/256870-dem-debate-winners-and-losers/ Dem debate winners and losers Niall Stanage Amie Parnes The Hill October 14, 2015 October 14, 2015 Conversely, Chafee, O'Malley and Webb were all widely regarded as the "losers". One of the most memorable moments from the debate, which drew an average of 15.3 million viewers, a record for a Democratic debate,https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/256886-cnn-debate-sets-democratic-record/ CNN debate sets ratings record for Democrats Jesse Byrnes The Hill October 14, 2015 October 14, 2015 came when Sanders replied to a question about Clinton's email controversy that the American people were "sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails", which drew cheers and applause from the audience and a smile and handshake between the two candidates.https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/256860-sanders-americans-sick-and-tired-of-clinton-emails/ Sanders: Americans 'sick and tired' of Clinton emails Ben Kamisar The Hill October 14, 2015 October 14, 2015 With regard to social media, Sanders had the biggest gains of the night on Twitter and Facebook, with an increase of 46,000 new followers and 35,000 new likes, respectively; over the course of the night, he was also the most-searched candidate on Google. Conversely, Clinton had the biggest gains on Instagram, with 25,000 likes for her photograph of her podium just before the debate started.https://time.com/4073082/democratic-debate-social-media-2/ https://web.archive.org/web/20151014155436/http://time.com/4073082/democratic-debate-social-media/ live October 14, 2015 Who won the Democratic debate on social media? Time October 14, 2015 It was noted that Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, who was live-Tweeting during the entire debate and mocking the candidates, gained more Twitter followers over the course of the night than all of the five candidates combined, with over 70,000 new followers.http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/10/14/trump-picked-more-followers-during-debate-all-dems-combined Trump picked up more followers during debate than all Democrats combined Fox News October 14, 2015 With the focus primarily being on Clinton and Sanders, a majority of subsequent fact-checking in the aftermath of the debate was regarding comments made by the two of them. Fact-checking by the Associated Press and USA Today pointed out mistakes in both of their presentations: specifically, Clinton was considered inconsistent in many of her policy stances, particularly with regard to the Obama administration's handling of the Syrian Civil War as well as the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement that Clinton supported as Secretary of State, but changed to opposing while a candidate.https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/ap-fact-check-clinton-revises-trade-history-dem-34456786 AP fact-check: Clinton revises history at Dem debate ABC News October 14, 2015 In contrast, Sanders was pointed out as making economic claims based on outdated information, particularly with regard to how much of America's GDP actually goes to the wealthiest in the country.https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2015/10/14/fact-check-first-democratic-debate/73882972/ Fact-checking the first Democratic debate USA Today October 14, 2015 This was the first and only debate appearance of Chafee and Webb, who ended their campaigns on October 23 and October 20, respectively.Merica Dan LoBianco Tom http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/23/politics/lincoln-chafee-2016-election-dnc-meeting/ Lincoln Chafee drops out of Democratic primary race CNN October 23, 2015 February 4, 2016Gass Nick Strauss Daniel https://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/webb-dropping-out-214952 Jim Webb drops out of Democratic race Politico October 20, 2015 February 4, 2016 l0M8P24AGcY First presidential debate of the Democrats in Las Vegas Saturday November 14, 2015 – Des Moines, Iowa Candidate Airtimehttp://presidential-candidates.insidegov.com/stories/7712/democratic-debate-twitter-talk-time-google-trends http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20160725203138/http://presidential-candidates.insidegov.com/stories/7712/democratic-debate-twitter-talk-time-google-trends dead July 25, 2016 Democratic Debate by the Numbers: Twitter, Talk Time and Google Trends InsideGov Gibbs Palmer November 14, 2015 November 20, 2015 PollsClinton38:33 54.7%Sanders24:17 33.0% O'Malley 21:28 2.7% The Democratic Party's second presidential debate ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election was held on November 14, 2015, at the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. It aired on CBS News and was also broadcast by KCCI and The Des Moines Register. This was the first debate to be broadcast over nationwide network television, the previous debate having gone over cable.https://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/second-democratic-2016-debate-iowa-when-is-it-215792 Everything you need to know about Saturday's Democratic debate Politico November 12, 2015 November 13, 2015 Weiland, Noah CBS News Political Director John Dickerson was the principal moderator, with participation by Kevin Cooney of KCCI. The day before the debate, November 13, was the day of the November 2015 Paris attacks, where nearly 130 civilians were killed by radical Jihadist terrorists - specifically, members of ISIS - across the city of Paris. As a result of the attacks, after initial speculation that the debate might be cancelled, CBS announced that, while the debate would go on as planned, the focus of the debate's content would be dramatically shifted over to foreign policy and terrorism.https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/us/politics/democratic-debate-to-get-new-terrorism-focus-after-paris-attacks-cbs-says.html?_r=0 CBS Shifts Emphasis of Democratic Debate to Reflect Paris Attacks The New York Times 14 November 2015 November 15, 2015 Steel Emily https://time.com/4112975/democratic-debate-paris-attacks/ Democratic Debate to Shift Focus After Paris Attacks Time November 15, 2015 In addition, a moment of silence was held at the beginning of the debate in memory of the victims. One of the most memorable moments of the debate was when Clinton defended against claims that she had ties to Wall Street bankers, particularly when Sanders pointed out that some of Clinton's largest donors were from Wall Street. Clinton retaliated by claiming that, as the Senator from New York during the September 11 attacks, she had to work closely with Wall Street since the attacks were so close to Wall Street.https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-takes-heat-on-foreign-policy-911-comment_56480aabe4b0603773496798 Hillary Clinton Takes Heat On Foreign Policy, 9/11 Comment In Debate Huffington Post 15 November 2015 November 15, 2015 Clinton immediately received scrutiny over these comments, including when Dickerson highlighted a Tweet from a viewer reading, "Never before have I heard someone use 9/11 to justify millions of Wall Street donations," which drew thunderous applause from the audience, and led to both Sanders and O'Malley also attacking Clinton for those comments.http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/clinton-takes-heat-for-wall-street-911-comments/article/2576390 Clinton takes heat for Wall Street, 9/11 comments Washington Examiner 15 November 2015 November 15, 2015 Post-debate criticisms arose from all across the political spectrum, from Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, to Clinton's own former campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, who said that the 9/11 reference would've been better used in the previous discussion on terrorism and foreign policy, not justifying her Wall Street connections.http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/11/15/clinton-invokes-11-in-countering-criticism-wall-st-donations-takes-heat/ https://web.archive.org/web/20151115151349/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/11/15/clinton-invokes-11-in-countering-criticism-wall-st-donations-takes-heat/ dead November 15, 2015 Clinton invokes 9/11 in countering criticisms of Wall St. donations, takes heat Fox News November 15, 2015 The New York Times and many other media organizations have heavily criticized Clinton for invoking 9/11 to cover her Wall Street connections.https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/16/opinion/hillary-clinton-botches-wall-street-questions.html?_r=0 Hillary Clinton Botches Wall Street Questions The New York Times 15 November 2015 November 15, 2015 Second presidential debate of the Democrats in Des Moines on CBS News Saturday December 19, 2015 – Goffstown, New Hampshire Candidate Airtime The 3rd Democratic debate, in charts https://www.vox.com/2015/12/20/10628906/dem-debate-charts Vox 20 December 2015 2015-12-21 PollsClinton38:14 56.3%Sanders30:20 30.6% O'Malley 24:20 4.3% The Democratic Party's third presidential debate ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election was held on December 19, 2015, at St. Anselm College, in Goffstown, New Hampshire. It aired on ABC News and was moderated by journalist David Muir, anchor of World News Tonight, and Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz. Third Democratic Presidential Debate: 9 Moments That Mattered https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/democratic-presidential-debate-moments-mattered/story?id=35868736 ABC News 2015-12-19 2015-12-20 On December 11, 2015, the DNC had announced that it would revoke the sponsorship of the debate by WMUR-TV because of a labor dispute with its unionized employees. The topics covered during the debate included Sanders' campaign's breach of Clinton's campaign data, strategy for defeating ISIS, gun control, the issue of whether to depose President Assad of Syria, if Wall Street favored each candidate, stability in the Middle East enforced by dictators and whether regime change was necessary, and the role of the First Spouse. In Democratic Debate, Hillary Clinton's Focus Is on G.O.P. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/us/politics/democratic-debate.html The New York Times 2015-12-19 2015-12-20 0362-4331 Jonathan Martin Amy Chozick Democratic debate: after Sanders' apology, candidates spar on Isis, taxes and guns – as it happened https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2015/dec/19/democratic-debate-live-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-martin-omalley-abc?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other The Guardian 2015-12-19 2015-12-21 DwKtrXv06uQ Third presidential debate of the Democrats in Goffstown Sunday January 17, 2016 – Charleston, South Carolina Candidate AirtimeHow long each candidate spoke https://www.instagram.com/p/BAqukH_xW7d/ https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BAqukH_xW7d 2021-12-26 registration January 18, 2016 Vox Media January 17, 2016 PollsClinton30:12 51.0%Sanders27:31 38.3% O'Malley 14:29 2.3% The Democratic Party's fourth presidential debate ahead of the 2016 Democratic primaries, and the first one in 2016, was held on January 17, 2016, at the Gaillard Center, a venue for performing arts in Charleston, South Carolina. Held from 9 to 11 pm ET, it was facilitated by Lester Holt and Andrea Mitchell. The location was 7.6 miles southeast of the North Charleston Coliseum, where the last Republican debate had been held on January 14, and the debate aired on NBC News and YouTube.YouTube will stream the Democratic debate on January 17th https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/16/10303586/youtube-nbc-streaming-democratic-debate-january-17 The Verge 16 December 2015 It was also sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus. It was notable as being the final debate before the start of precinct caucuses and primary voting. On January 8, NBC News announced that in order to qualify for the debate, a candidate must have reached an average of at least 5% either in national polls, or in Iowa, New Hampshire, or South Carolina, based on the five most recent polls recognized by NBC News released before January 14.Masonhall Erika http://press.nbcnews.com/2016/01/08/qualifying-criteria-for-nbc-news-youtube-democratic-candidates-debate/ QUALIFYING CRITERIA FOR NBC NEWS—YOUTUBE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES DEBATE NBC News January 8, 2016 January 9, 2016 Both before and after the debate, commentators said the debate was focused on Sanders and his voting record on gun control and slights against President Obama, among other issues. During the debate, O'Malley interrupted to take 30 seconds to talk about "homeland security and preparedness". The 4th Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/17/the-4th-democratic-debate-transcript-annotated-who-said-what-and-what-it-meant/ The Washington Post 2016-01-17 2016-01-18 0190-8286 en-US Team Fix Also during the debate, Clinton and Sanders had some back-and-forth exchanges to define themselves on Wall Street, foreign policy, and gun control. Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post viewed Sanders as the winner of the debate, while also praising O'Malley. According to Cillizza, Clinton was, "as always, solid," but "she did nothing in the debate to slow the momentum that Sanders is building in Iowa and New Hampshire."Cillizza Chris https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/17/winners-and-losers-from-the-4th-democratic-presidential-debate/?tid=pm_politics_pop_b Winners and losers from the fourth Democratic presidential debate The Washington Post January 17, 2015 January 18, 2016Hohmann James https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/01/18/the-daily-202-bernie-sanders-won-the-democratic-debate-say-pundits-and-social-media/?tid=hybrid_collaborative_2_na The Daily 202: Bernie Sanders won the Democratic debate, say pundits and social media The Washington Post January 18, 2015 January 18, 2016 This was the fourth and final debate appearance of O'Malley, who suspended his campaign on February 1.Wagner John https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/omalley-to-suspend-his-campaign-according-to-campaign-adviser/2016/02/01/4e1a4572-c77c-11e5-a4aa-f25866ba0dc6_story.html O'Malley suspends presidential bid after a dismal showing in Iowa The Washington Post February 1, 2016 February 4, 2016 ti2Nokoq1J4 Fourth presidential debate of the Democrats in Charleston Thursday February 4, 2016 – Durham, New Hampshire Candidate Airtime Bustle http://www.bustle.com/articles/139911-did-hillary-or-bernie-talk-more-during-the-democratic-debate-the-match-up-cut-it-pretty-close www.bustle.com 5 February 2016 2016-02-06 PollsClinton~ 1 hour 50.4%Sanders~ 1 hour36.3% The Democratic Party's fifth presidential debate ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election was held on February 4, 2016, in Durham, New Hampshire. On January 26, NBC News and the New Hampshire Union Leader announced plans to hold an unsanctioned debate in New Hampshire on February 4, to be moderated by Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow.McMorris-Santoro Evan Sources: NBC News And Union Leader To Announce Unsanctioned Democratic Debate https://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/sources-nbc-news-and-union-leader-to-annouce-unsanctioned-de January 26, 2016 Buzzfeed News Clinton, Sanders, and O'Malley all received an invitation to the debate, with O'Malley being the first to confirm his participation.Kludt Tom Union Leader, booted from GOP debate, to host Democratic debate https://money.cnn.com/2016/01/26/media/msnbc-union-leader-new-hampshire-debate/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20160129052353/http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/26/media/msnbc-union-leader-new-hampshire-debate/index.html dead January 29, 2016 January 26, 2016 On January 31, the DNC officially sanctioned the debate but removed the Union Leader as a sponsor, and each major Democratic candidate confirmed their attendance.MSNBC to host New Hampshire Democratic debate https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/msnbc-host-new-hampshire-democratic-debate MSNBC January 31, 2016 January 31, 2016https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2016/01/31/democrats-agree-debate-new-hampshire-this-week-but-without-union-leader/b30U8nGIlcHVwyVEe9z2aJ/story.html https://web.archive.org/web/20160202095535/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2016/01/31/democrats-agree-debate-new-hampshire-this-week-but-without-union-leader/b30U8nGIlcHVwyVEe9z2aJ/story.html dead February 2, 2016 Democrats agree to debate in New Hampshire this week — but without the Union Leader Nik DeCosta-Klipa January 31, 2016 February 2, 2016 O'Malley suspended his campaign after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses, thereby leaving Clinton and Sanders as the remaining participants. The debate aired on February 4, 2016, from 9 to 11 pm ET on MSNBC.Dinan Stephen DNC caves, agrees to sanction more Democratic presidential debates http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jan/31/democratic-national-committee-sanction-more-debate/ 3 February 2016 The Washington Times Commentators of the debate cited the elevated discourse between the candidates. There was discussion on the death penalty (federal versus state), money in politics, and assessing Russia, Iran, and North Korea as threats to national security. Clinton demanded that Sanders explain his "artful smears" of Clinton receiving campaign donations. Sanders responded by critiquing the inherently "quid-pro-quo" nature of Wall Street campaign donations. The exchange between the two candidates was called by Eric Levitz one of the best 10-minute exchanges in the history of American political debates.https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/clinton-and-sanders-spar-over-campaign-donations.html Clinton and Sanders Spar Over Campaign Donations NYMag 4 February 2016 7jK2eIpj6-c Fifth presidential debate of the Democrats in Durham Thursday February 11, 2016 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin Candidate Airtime PollsClinton ~ 1 hour49.3%Sanders ~ 1 hour36.0% The Democratic Party's sixth presidential debate ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election was held on February 11, 2016, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Starting at 8:00 pm CST, the debate was aired on PBS and simulcast by CNN.Rappeport Alan How to Watch the Democratic Debate in Milwaukee https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/us/politics/democratic-debate-how-to-watch.html?_r=0 2016-02-11 The New York Times 2016-02-11 Two anchors of PBS NewsHour, Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff, moderated for the two candidates.PBS NewsHour Democratic Debate https://www.pbs.org/newshour/demdebate/ January 21, 2016 PBS January 11, 2016Democratic Presidential Debate w/Facebook and PBS Newshour Facebook https://www.facebook.com/newshour/videos/vb.6491828674/10153925970948675/?type=2&theater The debate preshow ran for 30 minutes before the debate. Clinton noted it was a new milestone among presidential debates as more women were on the debate stage than men (3:1). After opening statements with Sanders going first, each candidate had 90 seconds to answer and then the other was given a 30-second response. There were two short breaks. During a break, highlights of the debate were shown by Hari Sreenivasan with political commentary from Lisa Desjardins, Amy Walter, and Tamara Keith weighing in on what had been said. The candidates debated on race relations, the size of government, funding their goals, Medicaid/Medicare, campaign contributor's influence, the prospect of a first woman president, affordable college, reducing areas of government, readiness for an attack on America, Henry Kissinger, Russian relations, the U.S. role with respect to refugees, influential leaders on foreign policy, and criticism of President Barack Obama. In closing statements, Sanders talked about bringing people together to create a representative government. Clinton's closing talked about not being a single issue candidate and taking on all barriers to people achieving their individual potentials. After the debate, the commentators were asked if the candidates did what they needed to do. Then Sreenivasan interviewed journalists David Brooks and Mark Shields in the postdebate coverage. o56pLqPYcEo Sixth presidential debate of the Democrats in Milwaukee Sunday March 6, 2016 – Flint, Michigan Candidate AirtimeAnderson Cooper Anderson Cooper andersoncooper 707002910215970816 March 7, 2016 If you think your candidate got cheated on talk time at last night's debate. Clinton spoke for 42:11. Sanders spoke for 42:41 PollsClinton42:1149.6%Sanders42:4140.2% The Democratic Party's seventh presidential debate ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election was held on March 6, 2016, at The Whiting, Flint Cultural Center, in Flint, Michigan. The city chosen was the epicenter of the ongoing Flint water crisis. Starting at 8.00 pm EST, the debate aired on CNN and was moderated by Anderson Cooper.Flint gets Democratic presidential debate on March 6 http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/03/democrat-debate-flint/79775366/ February 3, 2016 Detroit News February 3, 2016Preston Mark CNN to hold Democratic presidential debate in Flint, Michigan http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/07/politics/cnn-democratic-debate-flint-michigan-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/ February 11, 2016 CNN.com CNN February 7, 2016 He was joined by CNN's Don Lemon in asking questions. The debate ran for almost two hours. At the end of the debate, Cooper announced a labor union fund had committed $25 million in low-interest loans towards repairing the water system. The Michigan Democratic Party claimed the organization had no tickets to distribute leading up to the debate for the general public, party volunteers & major party donors, however sent out open public emails with links to open invites for any person interested in attending a pre-debate reception and dinner on March 5, combined with debate tickets for March 6, that would be willing to purchase tickets for $1,000 to $20,000 per package via EventBrite. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/michigan-democratic-party-pre-debate-reception-tickets-22287855576?aff=erellivmlt Michigan Democratic Party Pre-Debate Reception Eventbrite en-US 2016-03-02 Candidates were given 75 seconds to respond and 30 seconds for follow-ups. Members of the audience, made up of Democrats and Independents, were also given the chance to field questions, which were screened to avoid overlapping in content. Sanders and Clinton were given 60 seconds for opening statements and for closing statements at the end of the debate. A subsequent WikiLeaks email dump suggested that DNC vice chair Donna Brazile gave Clinton an unfair advantage in the debate with Sanders, revealed by Brazille's email message on March 5, 2016, to John Podesta and Jennifer Palmieri with the title: "One of the questions directed to HRC tomorrow is from a woman with a rash." The message continued, "her family has lead poison and she will ask what, if anything, will Hillary do as president to help the ppl of Flint.""CNN drops Donna Brazile as commentator over Wikileaks revelations". The Sydney Morning Herald. November 1, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016. G3EJ7HXVHHQ Seventh presidential debate of the Democrats in Flint Wednesday March 9, 2016 – Miami, Florida Candidate Airtime PollsClinton23:2951.0%Sanders17:5139.6% The Democratic Party's eighth presidential debate ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election was held on March 9, 2016, in Building 7 of the Kendall Campus of Miami Dade College in Miami, Florida. Starting at 9:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, it was broadcast through a partnership between Univision and The Washington Post. Miami Dade College To Host Democratic Presidential Debate http://wlrn.org/post/miami-dade-college-host-democratic-presidential-debate wlrn.org 2 November 2015 2016-01-08 DNC/Florida Democratic Party Primary Debate Hosted by Univision News and The Washington Post to Take Place at the Nation's Largest and Most Diverse College, Miami Dade College, on March 9, 2016 - Univision http://corporate.univision.com/2015/11/dncflorida-democratic-party-primary-debate-hosted-by-univision-news-and-the-washington-post-to-take-place-at-the-nations-largest-and-most-diverse-college-miami-dade-college-on-march-9-201/ Univision 2016-01-08 en-US https://web.archive.org/web/20160202034425/http://corporate.univision.com/2015/11/dncflorida-democratic-party-primary-debate-hosted-by-univision-news-and-the-washington-post-to-take-place-at-the-nations-largest-and-most-diverse-college-miami-dade-college-on-march-9-201/ February 2, 2016 dead mdy-all The debate was discussed during a job interview conducted in early 2015 between the Democratic National Committee's then-Communications Director Mo Elleithee and future Hispanic Media Director Pablo Manriquez. After starting at the DNC in April 2015, Manriquez "talked about the idea for a debate for Democratic candidates on Univision to anyone who had ears to listen." Él impulsa el debate hispano entre los precandidatos demócratas https://www.washingtonpost.com/eltiempolatino/el-empuja-el-debate-hispano-entre-los-democratas/2015/12/18/0bce768e-a34b-11e5-9c4e-be37f66848bb_story.html The Washington Post 2015-12-18 2016-01-08 0190-8286 en-US Alberto Avendaño The debate was officially announced on November 2, 2015. Univision/Washington Post Democratic debate to be held March 9 https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2015/11/univision-washington-post-democratic-debate-to-be-held-march-9-215451 POLITICO 2 November 2015 2016-01-08 0wapZnDvfhk Eight presidential debate of the Democrats in Miami Thursday April 14, 2016 – Brooklyn, New York The Democratic Party's ninth presidential debate ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election was held on April 14, 2016, at the Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn Navy Yard. The debate aired on CNN and NY1.Stelter Brian Clinton, Sanders to meet for Brooklyn debate http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/04/politics/democratic-debate-brooklyn/ April 5, 2016 CNN April 4, 2016 Wolf Blitzer of CNN served as moderator.http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/04/politics/democratic-debate-brooklyn/ Clinton, Sanders to meet for Brooklyn debate Brian Stelter, Host April 4, 2016 CNN Planned May debate/Potential Sanders/Trump debate Despite previously agreeing to a tenth debate in the state of California, before the last day of primary elections, Hillary Clinton declined to participate. As a result of this, the debate was cancelled. Bernie Sanders called it insulting to the people of California, the largest primary state.Clinton declines to debate Sanders in California https://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/23/politics/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-fox-debate-california/ CNN 24 May 2016 After it had been established that a California debate would not take place, Donald Trump offered a debate with Bernie Sanders ahead of the June 7th primary. The only condition for this debate was for the profits to be donated to a charity, which the candidates would agree on. Bernie Sanders accepted the offer; however, Donald Trump eventually declined to participate, stating there was no need to debate a candidate who would not win the Democratic nomination. Forums In addition to the main debates, twelve forums were scheduled for the candidates to discuss the issues. Schedule + Forums among candidates for the 2016 Democratic Party U.S. presidential nomination No. Date Time Place Sponsor(s) Inviteesa *black #99ff99  P  Participant    black #5FC  I  Invitee (to a future debate)    black #ff9999  N  Non-invitee  black #ffffdd  A  Absent invitee grey #ececec  O  Out of race (exploring or withdrawn)Fmr. Sec. of State ClintonFmr. Gov. O'MalleySen. Sanders Forums 1Nov. 6, 2015 8 p.m. ESTWinthrop UniversityRock Hill, SC MSNBCPPP 2Nov. 24, 2015N/AvirtualMoveOn.org MoveOn.orgAPP 3Jan. 11, 20167 p.m. CSTDrake UniversityDes Moines, IAFusionPPP 4Jan. 25, 20169 p.m. ESTDrake UniversityDes Moines, IACNNPPP 5Feb. 3, 20169 p.m. ESTAdams Memorial Opera HouseDerry, NHCNNPOP 6Feb. 18, 20169 p.m. EST Keep Memory Alive Event CenterLas Vegas, NVMSNBC/TelemundoPOP 7Feb. 23, 20168 p.m. EST University of South CarolinaColumbia, SCCNNPOP 8Mar. 7, 20166 p.m. EST Gem TheatreDetroit, MIFox News ChannelPOP 9Mar. 13, 20168 p.m. EST Mershon AuditoriumColumbus, OHCNN/TV OnePOP 10Mar. 14, 20166 p.m. EST Ohio State University Columbus, OHOld Capitol Building Springfield, ILMSNBCPOP 11Mar. 21, 20168 p.m. EDT Washington, D.C.CNNPOP 12Mar. 30, 20167 p.m. EDTWisconsin and New York CityMSNBCPOP 13Apr. 25, 20168 p.m. EDTNational Constitution CenterPhiladelphia, PAMSNBCPOP*aParticipating in at least one debate listed above:   Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of New York Former Gov. Martin O'Malley of Maryland Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont USA 400 Sites of the 2016 Democratic primary forums Map of United States showing sites of 2016 Democratic primary forums USA MSNBCRock Hill 75 left 34.938056 -81.026111 USA Fusion, CNNDes Moines 75 top 41.590833 -93.620833 USA CNNDerry 75 right 42.880556 -71.327222 USA MSNBC/TelemundoLas Vegas 75 right 36.175 -115.136389 USA CNNColumbia 75 right 34.000556 -81.034722 USA FOXDetroit 75 top 42.331389 -83.045833 USA CNN, MSNBCColumbus 75 bottom 40.000687 -83.011496 USA MSNBCSpringfield 75 left 39.698333 -89.619722 USA CNND.C. 75 right 38.904722 -77.016389 USA MSNBCNew York 75 right 40.7127 -74.0059 November 6, 2015 – Rock Hill, South Carolina Rachel Maddow was selected to moderate the First in the South Candidates Forum with Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley, which was held at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on November 6, co-sponsored by the Democratic Parties of 13 southern states.http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article38085903.html MSNBC's Rachel Maddow to moderate 2016 Democratic forum at Winthrop The State October 7, 2015 The forum was not in debate format; instead, each candidate was interviewed individually and sequentially.https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article42974280.html MSNBC's Rachel Maddow will bring Southern focus to forum The Charlotte Observer November 4, 2015 Lincoln Chafee and Jim Webb were also invited, but their campaigns never responded to the invitations,http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/politics/2015/10/07/sc-dems-host-clinton-sanders-omalley/73509772/ S.C. Democrats to host three presidential candidates in Rock Hill October 7, 2015 The Greenville News and both subsequently withdrew from the race. Lessig attempted multiple times to enter the debates but was systematically excluded by the DNC.Lessig Laurence I'm Trying to Run for President, but the Democrats Won't Let Me https://medium.com/equal-citizens/i-m-trying-to-run-for-president-but-the-democrats-won-t-let-me-7860eac918f8 October 1, 2015https://www.vice.com/en/article/why-is-lawrence-lessig-missing-from-tonights-cnn-debate/ Why Is Lawrence Lessig Missing From Tonight's CNN Debate? 13 October 2015 vice.comhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/11/02/larry-lessig-ends-presidential-campaign-citing-unfair-debate-rules/ Larry Lessig ends presidential campaign, citing unfair debate rules washingtonpost.comhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/18/democratic-candidate-lawrence-lessig-tv-debate-catch-22 Democratic candidate Lawrence Lessig decries 'catch-22' TV debate eligibility Lauren Gambino 18 September 2015 The Guardianhttp://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/10/23/more-calls-to-put-lessig-in-the-debate-as-democratic-field-thins.html Dem. debate stage would look empty without Lessig, says supporters aljazeera.com A Public Policy Poll of South Carolina Democratic voters conducted from November 7–8, after the forum, discovered that 67% of viewers thought Clinton won the forum, 16% thought Sanders won, and 6% thought O'Malley won, with 11% unsure. Three Republican candidates speak at anti-gay pastor's rally https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/watch/anti-gay-pastor-event-hosts-3-gop-candidates-563178051820 MSNBC 2015-11-23 November 24, 2015 – MoveOn.org 200px|right The second forum for the Democratic primaries occurred on November 24, 2015. On October 21, 2015, MoveOn announced that it would host a candidate forum to be recorded and aired online in mid-November. The announcement came amid ongoing unrest within the Democratic party over the unusually low number of Democratic debates allowed by the DNC. While five candidates – Lincoln Chafee, Hillary Clinton, Lawrence Lessig, Martin O'Malley, and Bernie Sanders – were invited, only Sanders and O'Malley appeared at the event.http://www.moveon.org/2016forum/ 2016 Presidential Forum moveon.org November 22, 2015 November 22, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151122230205/http://www.moveon.org/2016forum/ dead Although this was the first forum between the candidates in which Lessig was invited, he dropped out of the race before the forum was to be held.https://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/lawrence-lessig-drops-out-215443 Lessig drops out of presidential race Politico November 2, 2015 November 2, 2015 Strauss, Daniel The two candidates delivered responses on Social Security, student debt, gun violence, immigration, campaign finance reform, climate change, the progressive movement, the Syrian refugee crisis, the economy, racial profiling, and police brutality, and gave closing statements. Watch the MoveOn 2016 Presidential Forum http://2016forum.moveon.org/ 2016 Presidential Forum 2015-11-26 en-US November 26, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151126103618/http://2016forum.moveon.org/ dead January 11, 2016 – Des Moines, Iowa The third forum, the Iowa Brown and Black Forum, occurred on January 11, 2016, at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Focusing on minority issues, it aired on Fusion.Gold Hadas Fusion to host Democratic presidential forum https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2015/11/fusion-to-host-democratic-presidential-forum-216075 Politico January 11, 2016 November 19, 2015 File:Jorge Ramos (23708193404) (cropped).jpg Jorge Ramos moderating the forum File:Hillary Clinton (23705681544) (cropped2).jpg Clinton during the forum File:Bernie Sanders (24227236262) (cropped).jpg Sanders during the forum File:Martin O'Malley (24334527435) (cropped1).jpg O'Malley during the forum File:Spin Room (23706320123).jpg Sanders contingent in the spin room January 25, 2016 – Des Moines, Iowa thumb|CNN broadcasting van outside of the fourth forum The fourth forum was a Town Hall held on January 25, 2016, also at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Focusing on "Progressive revolution and change", it aired on CNN.Bradner Eric 5 takeaways from the Democratic town hall http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/26/politics/democratic-town-hall-takeaways/ CNN January 26, 2016 January 26, 2016 February 3, 2016 – Derry, New Hampshire The fifth forum, a Town Hall event, happened on February 3, 2016, at "Adams Opera House" in Derry, New Hampshire. Focusing on the several topics for "progressive proposals", it aired on CNN.Metzler Rebekah Dem candidates to attend New Hampshire town hall http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/31/politics/cnn-town-hall-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-martin-omalley/index.html CNN January 31, 2016 January 31, 2016 February 18, 2016 – Las Vegas, Nevada The sixth forum, a Town Hall event, occurred on February 18, 2016, at the Keep Memory Alive (KMA) event center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It aired on MSNBC and Telemundo.Nevada Democrats plan Hillary, Bernie town hall in Las Vegas http://lasvegassun.com/news/2016/feb/09/nevada-democrats-plan-hillary-bernie-town-hall-in-/ Las Vegas Sun February 15, 2016 February 9, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160213181547/http://lasvegassun.com/news/2016/feb/09/nevada-democrats-plan-hillary-bernie-town-hall-in-/ February 13, 2016 dead Sanders was asked a series of questions before the microphone was turned over to Hillary Rodham Clinton. A number of questions were directed at Latino and American-Islamic issues and some questions were asked in Spanish. Young voters and first-time voters also spoke. February 23, 2016 – Columbia, South Carolina The seventh forum and Town Hall event was held at 8:00 pm EST on February 23, 2016, at the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. It was aired on CNN.Nevada Democrats plan Hillary, Bernie town hall in Las Vegas http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/18/politics/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-cnn-south-carolina-town-hall/index.html CNN February 19, 2016 February 19, 2016 March 7, 2016 – Detroit, Michigan The eighth forum, a Town Hall event, was held at 6:00 p.m. EST on March 7, 2016, at the Gem Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, on the Fox News Channel.https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fox-news-will-hold-democratic-town-hall-next-week-only-one-candidate-set-to-appear/ar-BBqjnZC?ocid=spartanntp Fox News Will Hold Democratic Town Hall Next Week; Only One Candidate Set to Appear MSN 2016-03-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20160307003316/http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fox-news-will-hold-democratic-town-hall-next-week-only-one-candidate-set-to-appear/ar-BBqjnZC?ocid=spartanntp 2016-03-07 dead The forum was moderated by Bret Baier. March 13, 2016 – Columbus, Ohio The ninth forum was held at 8:00 pm EDT on March 13, 2016, at the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and aired on CNN.CNN, TV One to host presidential town hall http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/07/politics/cnn-town-hall-democrats-ohio/index.html CNN March 13, 2016 March 13, 2016 March 14, 2016 – Columbus, Ohio and Springfield, Illinois The tenth forum was held at 6:00 pm EDT on March 14, 2016, at the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois. It aired on MSNBC. The first section of the town hall with Bernie Sanders was moderated by Chuck Todd in Columbus; the second section of the town hall with Hillary Clinton was moderated by Chris Matthews in Springfield. March 21, 2016 – Washington, D.C. The eleventh forum was held at 8:00 pm EDT on March 21, 2016. This was known as the Final Five Forum by CNN, and included Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich live, with Bernie Sanders participating remotely. The event was hosted by Anderson Cooper. March 30, 2016 – Wisconsin and New York City The twelfth forum was held at 7:00 pm EDT on March 30, 2016. This was a four-hour special on MSNBC, with the first hour featuring John Kasich in Queens, New York in a town hall format moderated by Chuck Todd, with the next hour being a town hall with Donald Trump in Green Bay, Wisconsin moderated by Chris Matthews. Rachel Maddow conducted back-to-back one-on-one interviews with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. April 25, 2016 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The thirteenth forum was held on April 25, 2016, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on MSNBC.Katz A.J. MSNBC to Present Monday Night Democratic Town Halls http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/msnbc-to-present-monday-night-democratic-town-halls/291391 April 25, 2016 Adweek April 25, 2016 Chris Hayes interviewed Bernie Sanders at 8:00 pm EDT, and Rachel Maddow interviewed Hillary Clinton at 9:00 pm EDT. Criticism and controversy Number of debates Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley criticized the number of DNC debates, saying that there should have been more of them.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-democrats-dnc-2016-primary-election-debate-schedule/ Election 2016: Bernie Sanders "not really" happy about DNC's debate schedule August 10, 2015 CBS Newshttp://www.cnn.com/2015/08/06/politics/martin-omalley-jake-tapper-debates/index.html Martin O'Malley criticizes Democratic Party over debates Eugene Scott August 6, 2015 CNN The DNC had scheduled six debates, the same number it had scheduled in the previous two contested primaries, 2004 and 2008.https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/is-six-democratic-debates-too-few/ https://web.archive.org/web/20171004011844/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/is-six-democratic-debates-too-few/ dead October 4, 2017 Is Six Democratic Debates Too Few? FiveThirtyEight Harry Enten 2016-05-06 2017-09-07 Democratic Party candidates are not formally allowed to participate in non-sanctioned debates if they want to participate in the official DNC debates.Jacobs Ben Democratic primary debate schedule criticized as Clinton 'coronation' https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/06/democrats-debate-schedule-hillary-clinton 2015-09-23 The Guardian 2015-08-06 However, that rule is unenforceable if candidates jointly agree to additional debates or if the sanctioned debates are already over, as was the case in 2016 and in previous years when additional debates were scheduled.https://www.npr.org/2016/01/30/464996074/clinton-and-sanders-agree-to-more-debates-argue-over-details Clinton And Sanders Agree To More Debates, Argue Over Details NPR January 30, 2017 September 7, 2017 Criticism over the number of debates reached a peak at the DNC's national meeting in Minneapolis on August 28. State Senator Martha Fuller Clark, vice chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, reportedly had an "intense discussion" about the number of debates with DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.Dinan Elizabeth Fuller Clark challenges DNC chair for more presidential debates http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20150828/NEWS/150829121 Seacoastonline.com 2015-09-23 Portsmouth, New Hampshire 2015-08-28 During the national meeting, candidate Martin O'Malley criticized DNC officials for the lack of debates. Cecil Benjamin, chair of the Democratic Party of the US Virgin Islands, interrupted the meeting to offer a motion to increase the number of debates; the motion received applause and cheers from the audience.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/29/martin-omalley-blasts-debbie-wasserman-schultz-fro/ O'Malley blasts Wasserman Schultz in front of DNC meeting The Washington Times In early September, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and former Mayor of Minneapolis R. T. Rybak released a statement calling for more debates and for releasing the restrictions imposed to keep candidates from participating in non-DNC debates.https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/09/09/two-d-n-c-officials-call-for-adding-more-debates/?_r=0 Two D.N.C. Officials Call for Adding More Debates The New York Times September 9, 2015 Former DNC chair Howard Dean expressed his disappointment in the rule barring candidates from non-DNC debates, saying "It's not right."https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/09/08/does-the-sanders-surge-pose-a-serious-threat-to-hillary-howard-dean-weighs-in/ Does the Sanders surge pose a serious threat to Hillary? Howard Dean weighs in. The Washington Post A small protest took place outside the DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C., on September 16 calling for more debates.http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/16/is-the-democratic-national-committee-in-the-tank-for-hillary.html Is the Democratic National Committee in the Tank for Hillary? Daily Beast 17 September 2015 Nuzzi Olivia On September 18, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi echoed calls for more debates in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/18/politics/nancy-pelosi-democrats-debates-2016/ Pelosi joins calls to add more Democratic primary debates CNN On September 19, 2015, during her speech at the New Hampshire Democratic Party convention, DNC chair Wasserman Schultz was heckled with shouts for more debates.http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/19/politics/debbie-wasserman-schultz-democrats-debates/ DNC chair heckled with calls for more debates CNN On September 22, the Vermont Democratic Party sent a letter to the DNC calling for more debates.http://wamc.org/post/vermont-democrats-call-more-presidential-debates#stream/0 Vermont Democrats Call For More Presidential Debates WAMC Northeast Public Radio Black Lives Matter debate A week after the first debate was held in Las Vegas, the organization Black Lives Matter (which plays a central part in the movement of the same name) launched a petition targeted at the DNC and chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz demanding more debates, and "specifically for a #BlackLivesMatter themed Presidential debate."The #BlackLivesMatter Network Urges the Democratic National Committee to host a #BlackLivesMatter Themed Presidential Debate October 20, 2015 https://m.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatter/posts/503942139777036 #BlackLivesMatter Organization 2015-12-23 We Demand a Black Lives Matter Presidential Debate http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/51386/c/284/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16223 salsa4.salsalabs.com 2015-10-31 2022-08-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20220826032526/http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/51386/c/284/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16223 dead The petition received over 10,000 signatures within 24 hours of being launched, Press statement on DNC response Black Lives Matter network https://m.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatter/posts/504518409719409 www.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatter 2015-10-31 and had over 33,000 signatures as of October 27. Mobile Uploads - Black Lives Matter Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatter/photos/a.294807204023865.1073741829.180212755483311/505639689607281/?type=3&permPage=1 www.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatter 2015-10-31 The DNC said that it would permit presidential candidates to attend a presidential town hall organized by activists, but that it would not add another debate to its official schedule. DNC and RNC won't add a debate, but give their blessings to Black Lives Matter presidential town hall https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/10/21/dnc-gives-blessing-to-black-lives-matter-presidential-town-hall-but-wont-add-debate/ The Washington Post 2015-10-21 2015-10-31 0190-8286 Wesley Lowery In response, the organization released a press statement on its Facebook page stating that "[i]n consultation with our chapters, our communities, allies, and supporters, we remain unequivocal that a Presidential Town Hall with support from the DNC does not sufficiently respond to the concerns raised by our members", continuing to demand a full additional debate. Candidates invited to debate Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig, who announced his campaign on September 6, criticized the requirement that Democratic candidates must earn at least 1% in three major national polls in the six weeks before the debate. His criticism was centered on the fact that he was excluded from most polls because the Democratic National Committee (DNC) did not officially welcome him to the campaign as it had done for all five other candidates. In the two weeks following his announcement, Lessig was only included in one national poll, in which he met the 1% requirement; other national polls included Vice President Biden, who had yet to announce whether he was running.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/18/democratic-candidate-lawrence-lessig-tv-debate-catch-22 Democratic candidate Lawrence Lessig decries 'catch-22' TV debate eligibility The Guardian 18 September 2015 Gambino Lauren https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2015/09/21/larry-lessig-challenges-hillary-clinton-and-bernie-sanders-to-debate-will-moveon-move-in Democrat Debate Controversy: Will Lawrence Lessig Be Included? Forbes The day before the CNN debate, the Bloomberg Editorial Board published an editorial entitled, "Let All the Candidates Debate, Democrats," calling for the DNC to include Lessig in the debate, but this demand went unheeded.http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-10-12/larry-lessig-deserves-to-be-in-the-democratic-debate Let All the Candidates Debate, Democrats Bloomberg View Editorial Board October 12, 2015 Bloomberg View Lessig, upon his withdrawal from the campaign, was quoted as saying that "from the start it was clear that getting into the Democratic debates was the essential step in this campaign. I may be known in tiny corners of the tubes of the internets, but I am not well-known to the American public generally." Lessig acknowledged that in order to raise the discussion of campaign finance reform in the 2016 election, getting into debates was key. "But last week, we learned that the Democratic party has changed its rules for inclusion in the debate," he said. The DNC debate-qualifying rule originally required a candidate to poll at least 1% in three national polls during the six weeks prior to a debate. Under the new rule, which Lessig stated was the reason for his campaign suspension, a candidate is required to poll at least 1% in three national polls at least six weeks before a debate. Lessig said that "unless we can time travel, there is no way that I can qualify." He then announced the suspension of his campaign.https://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/lawrence-lessig-drops-out-215443 Lessig drops out of presidential race Politico November 2, 2015 November 2, 2015 Strauss, Daniel Dates with low expected ratings The campaigns of both Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley criticized the days and times for the debates, as well as stating that more of them were needed. Disappointing debate ratings spark Democratic campaign complaints https://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/democratic-debates-cbs-clinton-sanders-omalley-215909 Politico 15 November 2015 2015-11-25 Of the nine debates, two took place on a Saturday, two on Sunday, three on a Thursday, one on a Tuesday and one on a Wednesday.http://www.newsweek.com/myths-cost-democrats-presidential-election-521044 The myths Democrats swallowed that cost them the Presidential election Newsweek 14 November 2016 The choice of Saturday was criticised because it generally has lower television viewership according to Nielsen ratings, Democrats Just Can't Muster That Much Enthusiasm for 2016 http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/11/hillary_clinton_s_candidacy_doesn_t_have_democrats_excited_president_obama.html Slate 2015-11-09 2015-11-12 1091-2339 en-US Jim Newell with only Friday nights having lower ratings. While the first Democratic debate took place on a Tuesday night and drew 15.3 million viewers, How many people watched the first Democratic debate? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-many-people-watched-the-first-democratic-debate/ www.cbsnews.com 14 October 2015 2015-11-25 the second Democratic debate took place on a Saturday night and drew only about 8.5 million viewers. More Than 8.5 Million Watched Democratic Debate on CBS https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/11/15/democratic-debate-ratings-for-cbs/ The New York Times - First Draft 2015-11-15 2015-11-25 Emily Steel The third Democratic debate also took place on a Saturday night, and drew slightly lower but comparable ratings to the second debate. Preliminary ABC Democratic debate numbers: Not bad https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2015/12/preliminary-abc-democratic-debate-numbers-not-bad-217027 Politico 2015-12-21 2015-12-21 Hadas Gold In the event, the Saturday night debates were the third- and fifth-most watched debates. One of the Saturday night debates took place the Saturday before Christmas, and another took place on Sunday night of Martin Luther King Day weekend, a scheduling that Vox.com says is also expected to make for poor ratings. Democrats scheduled debates on days when no one will watch https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/11/12/9699836/democratic-debate-schedule Vox 12 November 2015 2015-11-12 Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz has denied claims that the DNC wants to protect frontrunner Hillary Clinton by picking dates that will receive poor viewership.https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/11/12/9699836/democratic-debate-schedule Democrats scheduled debates on days when no one will watch vox.com 12 November 2015 See also 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries 2016 Democratic Party presidential candidates 2016 Republican Party presidential debates and forums 2016 Green Party presidential debates and forums 2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums 2016 United States presidential debates 2004 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums 2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums 2020 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums References 30em External links Video of the November 6, 2015 forum in Rock Hill, South Carolina Video of MoveOn's November 24, 2015 virtual forum Video of the January 11, 2016 forum in Des Moines, State of Iowa Video of the February 18, 2016 forum in Las Vegas, State of Nevada Video of the April 14, 2016 debate in Brooklyn, New York Video of the February 23, 2016, forum in Columbia, South Carolina Sanders Pt1 Sanders Pt2 H.Clinton Pt1 H.Clinton Pt2 Category:2016 United States presidential debates 2016 Category:2015 in American television Category:2016 in American television