CPD releases universities from 2024 debate hosting contracts after Biden campaign decides not to use its sponsorship
WASHINGTON, DC: The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) notified four universities on Monday, June 24, that they are no longer required to prepare for hosting the 2024 candidate forums following a decision by President Joe Biden.
The CPD's board of directors "regrettably announced" that Texas State University, Lafayette College, Virginia State University, and the University of Utah are released from their obligations to host the presidential and vice presidential debates previously scheduled for the months of September and October.
CPD Co-Chairs feel dismayed that students of the four campuses will not have the opportunity to participate in the historic voter education forums
CPD Co-Chairs Antonia Hernandez and Frank Fahrenkopf issued a statement saying, "Given the letter dated May 15, 2024, from Jen O’Malley Dillon, Campaign Chair for the Biden-Harris Campaign, in which the Biden-Harris Campaign informed the Commission that President Biden will not agree to debate under the sponsorship of the Commission during the 2024 general election campaign."
They added, "It is unfair to ask the four campuses to continue to prepare for their debates, as they have been doing since their November 2023 selection. We are grateful to the sites, and we are sorry to come to this decision. We are dismayed that students of the four campuses will not have the opportunity to participate in these historic voter education forums."
In May, the Biden campaign decided to bypass the traditional debate organizers and directly arranged one-on-one debates with former President Donald Trump, slated for June 27 and September 10.
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Since its inception in 1987, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has hosted 30 out of 33 debates at colleges or universities.
This election cycle marks a departure from CPD's historical role in organizing every presidential and vice-presidential debate since 1988.
However, Hernandez and Fahrenkopf have indicated that the CPD remains ready to sponsor the 2024 debates if the situation changes.
"The reason for the CPD’s creation remains compelling: a neutral organization with no other role during the general election is well-positioned to offer formats that focus on the candidate and the issues that are most important to the American people," noted the co-chairs.
Fahrenkopf, the co-founder of the commission and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, expressed strong criticism toward senior White House aide Anita Dunn in May following the exclusion of his group from the debates.
"I know where all this is coming [from] — this is Anita Dunn," told Fahrenkopf on Politico's 'Playbook Deep Dive' podcast. He added, "This is her plan. I know. She’s fought — she was against the commission for years and years and years."
