Campaigns Lay Out Specifics Of Presidential Debates
As we mentioned in Starting Gate, the campaigns of John McCain and Barack Obama this morning sent out a joint press release concerning their agreement on presidential debates. In the agreement, they lay out the planned framework for the three presidential debates. (The specifics of the vice presidential debate will be worked out once the candidates have selected their running mates.)
Below you'll find the full release on the specifics of each debate. The first and third presidential debates will be broken into nine short segments, while in the second the moderator will call on members of the audience and draw questions from the internet.
The Obama and McCain campaigns released the following statement on the Presidential Debates
The Barack Obama and John McCain campaigns have agreed to hold three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate in September and October sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The campaigns have come to the earliest agreement on presidential debates reached in any general election in recent history. This announcement reflects the presidential campaigns' agreement on dates, locations, and the formats for the fall debates. Campaign-appointed debate negotiators House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said they were pleased to have reached an early agreement to provide the American people with the opportunity to see and hear the candidates debate the critical issues facing the country. The two campaigns have accepted sponsorship of the debates by the Commission on Presidential Debates, subject to the debates being conducted under the terms of their agreement.
Summary of McCain-Obama Debate Agreement
The two campaigns agreed today on a framework for four General Election debates, to be sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Key elements of the agreement are:
1. First Presidential Debate:
2. Vice Presidential Debate
3. Second Presidential Debate
4. Third Presidential Debate
All four debates will begin at 9pm ET, and last for 90 minutes. Both campaigns also agreed to accept the CPD's participation rules for third-party candidate participation.