New York Times and CNN to Co-Host October Democrat Debate in Ohio

The New York Times announced Friday that it will be co-hosting next month’s Democrat primary debate alongside CNN.

The next Democrat debate is scheduled for October 15 and will be held on the Otterbein University campus in Westerville, Ohio. The debate will expand to two nights — October 15 and 16 — if too many candidates qualify.

In order to qualify, a candidate must report 130,000 unique donors and garner two percent support from four polls approved by the Democratic National Committee (DNC). All ten of the candidates who qualified for Thursday night’s debate in Houston, Texas — Joe Biden (D); Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ); Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D); Beto O’Rourke (D); Andrew Yang (D); and Julián Castro (D) — have already qualified. Tom Steyer (D) has also qualified for the next debate, bringing the tally to 11. The remaining candidates have until October 1 to reach the DNC’s stringent requirements.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson (D) — winners of their respective debates in Detroit — were noticeably absent from the stage in Houston. While both have secured the required number of donors to participate in the next debate, Gabbard is currently two qualifying polls short, and Williamson is three qualifying polls short.

Moderators for the debate will include the Times’ Marc Lacey as well as CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett, according to the Times’ announcement.