A Different Debate

Have you chosen a favorite Democratic candidate yet for the 2020 presidential election? If not, the third round of Democratic debates coming up on October 15 and 16 may be your chance. The Democratic National Committee has announced when and where the event will take place, and who will be included, although the official format is yet to be determined. Here, Election Central takes a closer look.

The “Who”

You may remember that in September, the field of Democratic candidates shrunk significantly, from 20 to 10. That’s because the requirements to participate in the third round of debates were much stricter than for the first two televised events. For this fourth round of debate, the requirements remain the same, and so all 10 participants in the September debate automatically qualify to participate again. In addition, billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer also has qualified, meaning that the pool is up to 11 and the debate will likely be spread out over two nights instead of one.

Aside from Tom Steyer, the qualifying candidates (so far) include: former Vice President Joe Biden; Sen. Cory Booker (New Jersey); Mayor Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, Indiana); former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro; Sen. Kamala Harris (California); Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota); former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (Texas); Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vermont); Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts); and businessman Andrew Yang.

The debate will be moderated by Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett of CNN, and Marc Lacey from The New York Times.

The “Where”

The previous Democratic debates this year were held in large cities: Miami Florida; Houston Texas; and Detroit Michigan. But the fourth debate’s location will be quite different. It will be held at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of about 40,000 people northeast of Columbus, Ohio, with a distinctly small-town feel. This might sound like a crazy choice, but there is a good reason behind it.

According to the Ohio Democratic Party, Ohio is experiencing an important political shift right now, with traditionally conservative suburbs turning from Republican “red” to Democratic “blue.” Data from the Westerville area match this statistical trend. Fifteen years ago, Republican George W. Bush won the suburb by 23 points. Later, Democrat Barack Obama lost both of his races there by nearly double digits. But in 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton won by four points. Ohio has traditionally and recently played an important role in the Electoral College, in its importance as a “swing state.” It is therefore being targeted by the Democratic Party in the 2020 election.

The “What”

Although the official format for the debate is yet to be determined, it’s probable that the topic of gun violence will come up. That’s because the recent mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio took place just 85 miles from Westerville. The economy is also likely to come up, as Ohio struggles with a stagnant job market, and because a large General Motors manufacturing plant in Lordstown, Ohio, shut down earlier this year.

What Do You Think? Make a list of five questions that you would like the Democratic candidates to answer during the fourth debate.