Editing Commission on Presidential Debates

{{short description|Bi-partisan U.S. presidential debate organizing group formed in 1987}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox organization
|name           = Commission on Presidential&nbsp;Debates
|image          = Commission on Presidential Debates logo.svg
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|predecessor    = [[League of Women Voters]] (sponsor)
|successor      =
|formation      = {{Start date and age|1987}}
|extinction     = 
|type           = Non-profit, [[501(c)#501(c) (3)|501(c)(3)]] corporation<ref name="CPD Overview">{{cite web |url=http://debates.org/index.php?page=overview |title=The Commission on Presidential Debates: An Overview |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=n.d. |website=debates.org |publisher=Commission on Presidential Debates |access-date=2016-10-11}}</ref>
|status         = 
|purpose        = Organization of the [[United States presidential election debates|United States presidential and vice-presidential election debates]]
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|coords         = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline,title}} -->
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|leader_title   = {{nowrap|Co-Chairs}}
|leader_name    = {{unbulleted list | [[Frank Fahrenkopf]]<ref name="CPDleadership">{{Cite web |url=https://www.debates.org/about-cpd/commission-leadership/ |title = CPD: Commission Leadership |website=Debates.org|access-date=May 15, 2024}}</ref> | Dorothy S. Ridings |  Kenneth Wollack}}
|leader_title2  = Executive Director
|leader_name2   = [[Janet H. Brown]]
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|website        = {{official URL}}
|remarks        = 
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}}

The '''Commission on Presidential Debates''' ('''CPD''') is a [[nonprofit]] [[corporation]] established in 1987 under the joint sponsorship of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] political parties in the [[United States]].<ref name="CPD Overview" /><ref name="NYT-1987-02-19">{{cite web|last=Gailey |first=Phil |date=February 19, 1987 |title=Democrats and Republicans Form Panel to Hold Presidential Debates|work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/19/us/democrats-and-republicans-form-panel-to-hold-presidential-debates.html?pagewanted=1 |access-date=2008-10-07}}</ref> The CPD sponsors and produces debates for U.S. presidential and vice-presidential candidates and undertakes research and educational activities relating to the debates. Between 1988 and 2020, the CPD organized all general election presidential debates. 
 
In 2024, the campaigns of the major-party presumptive presidential candidates, [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] incumbent [[Joe Biden]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] former president [[Donald Trump]], circumvented the CPD and committed to two debates outside the CPD's purview. When Vice President [[Kamala Harris]] replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee after the first debate, she and Trump maintained the commitment to the second debate outside the CPD's purview.

== History ==
=== Debates before the CPD ===
The first televised [[1960 United States presidential debates|presidential debates]] were held between [[Richard Nixon]] and [[John F. Kennedy]] during the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960 campaign]]. No general election debates were held in [[1964 United States presidential election|1964]], and Nixon refused to participate in any debate in [[1968 United States presidential election|1968]] and [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]]. Beginning with the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 election]], the [[League of Women Voters]] sponsored the televised [[Gerald Ford]]–[[Jimmy Carter]] debates, followed by the [[John B. Anderson]]–[[Ronald Reagan]] and Carter–Reagan debates for the [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 election]], and the Reagan–[[Walter Mondale]] in [[1984 United States presidential election|1984]].

=== Formation ===
After studying the election process in 1985, the bipartisan National Commission on Elections recommended "[t]urning over the sponsorship of presidential debates to the two major parties".<ref name="NYT-1987-02-19" /> The CPD was established in 1987 by the chairmen of the Democratic and Republican Parties to "take control of the presidential debates".<ref name="NYT-1987-02-19" /> The commission was staffed by members from the two parties and chaired by the heads of the Democratic and Republican parties, [[Paul G. Kirk]] and [[Frank Fahrenkopf]].<ref name="NYT-1987-02-19" /> At a 1987 press conference announcing the commission's creation, Fahrenkopf said that the commission was not likely to include third-party candidates in debates, and Kirk said he personally believed they should be excluded from the debates.<ref name="NYT-1987-02-19" />

In 1988, the League of Women Voters withdrew its sponsorship of the presidential debates after the [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[Michael Dukakis]] campaigns secretly agreed to a "memorandum of understanding" that would decide which candidates could participate in the debates, which individuals would be panelists (and therefore able to ask questions), and the height of the lecterns. The league rejected the demands and released a statement saying that it was withdrawing support for the debates because "the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter."<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/league-refuses-help-perpetrate-fraud |title=League of Women Voters of the United States: League Refuses to 'Help Perpetuate a Fraud' |work=[[League of Women Voters]] |date=October 3, 1988 |access-date=2012-10-04}}</ref>

=== Debate format and venues ===
The CPD sponsored the debates in every presidential election from 1988 through 2020. Debates ran 90 minutes long, with no [[Television commercial|commercial]] interruptions.<ref name=CPD2024Debates>{{cite web |title=Statement on CPD's 2024 General Election Debates |url=https://debates.org/2024/06/24/cpd-statement/ |website=The Commission on Presidential Debates |access-date=24 June 2024 |date=24 June 2024}}</ref>

Of the 33 debates conducted under its sponsorship, 30 were held on college or university campuses.<ref name=CPD2024Debates/> [[Washington University in St. Louis]] hosted more presidential and vice-presidential debates than any other institution.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://source.wustl.edu/2008/06/history-of-debates-at-washington-university-in-st-louis/ |title=History of debates at Washington University in St. Louis |work=[[Washington University in St. Louis]] |access-date=2012-10-04 |date=2008-06-26 }}</ref>

===2024 presidential election===
{{main|2024 United States presidential debates}}

In January 2022, the [[Republican National Committee]] (RNC) warned the CPD that it planned to amend the Rules of the Republican Party to prohibit Republican presidential nominees from attending CPD-sponsored debates.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Manchester|first=Julia|date=2022-01-13|title=RNC moves to require presidential candidates to skip traditional commission debates|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/589584-rnc-moving-to-force-presidential-candidates-to-skip-traditional-commission|access-date=2022-01-13|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|language=en}}</ref> The RNC unanimously passed the amendment to quit to CPD in April 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/04/14/1092916451/republicans-say-theyre-quitting-the-biased-commission-on-presidential-debates |title=Republicans say they're quitting the 'biased' Commission on Presidential Debates |date=April 14, 2022 |work=[[NPR]]|first=Eric |last=McDaniel}}</ref>

In November 2023, the CPD announced its plans for debate dates and sites for the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 presidential election]], with three presidential debates (to be held on September 16, October 1, and October 9) and one vice presidential debate (to be held September 25).<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://debates.org/2023/11/20/2024-sites/index.html |title=Commission on Presidential Debates Announces Sites and Dates for 2024 General Election Debates and 2024 Nonpartisan Candidate Selection Criteria |work= Commission on Presidential Debates |date=November 20, 2023 |access-date=14 October 2024 }}</ref> However, the campaigns of both President [[Joe Biden]] and his challenger, former president [[Donald Trump]], criticized the CPD's plans,<ref name=SchererDawsey>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/15/biden-trump-presidential-debates/|title=Biden and Trump agree to CNN debate in June, ABC faceoff in September|author=Michael Scherer & Josh Dawsey|date=May 15, 2024|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> including over format and timing (''i.e.'', concerns that the debates would be held too late in the campaign season).<ref name=PoliticoMay15>{{cite web |first1=Steven |last1=Shepard |first2=Sam |last2=Stein |first3=Jonathan |last3=Lemire |first4=Alex |last4=Isenstadt |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/15/biden-proposes-2-debates-with-trump-ditching-bipartisan-commission-00158082 |title=Biden and Trump agree to debates. And then debate about more debates. |work=[[Politico]] |date=May 15, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/15/politics/what-to-know-history-of-presidential-debates/index.html|title=What to know about the history of presidential debates |last1=Shelton|first1=Shania|work=[[CNN]]|date=May 15, 2024|accessdate=May 28, 2024}}</ref>

In May 2024, the Biden and Trump campaigns struck a deal to circumvent the CPD and participate in two debates (on [[CNN]] on June 27 and [[ABC News (United States)|ABC]] on September 10), breaking a longstanding tradition of debates organized under the auspices of the CPD,<ref name=SchererDawsey/> throwing the future of the CPD into doubt.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jonathan J. |last=Cooper |url=https://apnews.com/article/commission-presidential-debates-future-nonpartisan-early-voters-01a7cfe1817dc110d14635536f1f86b1 |title=The Commission on Presidential Debates faces an uncertain future after Biden and Trump bypassed it |work=[[Associated Press]] |date=May 16, 2024 }}</ref> On June 24, 2024, the CPD announced that it was "regrettably" releasing the sites it had selected for its 2024 debates from their contracts, adding that "CPD stands ready to sponsor 2024 debates should circumstances change."<ref name=CPD2024Debates/>

== Leadership and funding==
The commission is a nonprofit organization, led by a bipartisan [[board of directors]].<ref name=SchererDawsey/><ref name=Farley>{{cite web |first=Robert |last=Farley |url=https://www.factcheck.org/2016/10/trumps-misguided-debate-bias-claim/ |title=Trump's Misguided Debate Bias Claim |work=FactCheck.org |publisher=Annenberg Public Policy Center |date=October 13, 2016 }}</ref> It has [[501(c)(3) organization|501(c)(3)]] status.<ref name=ThomasWSJ>{{cite news |first=Ken |last=Thomas |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/debate-over-debates-draws-attention-to-nonpartisan-commission-11602187300 |title=Debate Over Debates Draws Attention to Nonpartisan Commission |work=Wall Street Journal |date=October 8, 2020 }}</ref>

As of 2024, the co-chairs of the Commission were [[Frank Fahrenkopf]] (a former [[chairman of the Republican National Committee]]) and [[Antonia Hernández]].<ref name="CPDleadership"/> Fahrenkopf has been co-chair since the CPD was established.<ref name=Farley/><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.debates.org/2003/09/24/commission-on-presidential-debates-releases-2004-candidate-selection-criteria/ |title=Commission on Presidential Debates Releases 2004 Candidate Selection Criteria |work=Commission on Presidential Debates |date=September 24, 2003 }}</ref> The other co-chair was originally [[Paul G. Kirk, Jr.]], who served as [[chairman of the Democratic National Committee]].<ref name=Farley/> Kirk stepped down from the CPD in 2009, and was replaced as co-chair by [[Michael D. McCurry]].<ref name=Farley/>  McCurry stepped down as co-chair in January 2017, and was replaced by Dorothy S. Ridings, a past executive of the [[Council on Foundations]] and [[League of Women Voters]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Richard |last=Winger |url=https://ballot-access.org/2017/03/28/for-first-time-commission-on-presidential-debates-has-a-co-chair-who-is-not-a-former-leader-of-the-democratic-or-republican-parties/ |title=For First Time, Commission on Presidential Debates Has a Co-Chair Who is Not a Former Leader of the Democratic or Republican Parties |work=Ballot Access News |date=March 28, 2017 }}</ref> Kirk and Ridings hold the title Co-Chair Emeriti.<ref name="CPDleadership"/> Kenneth Wollack, former president of the [[National Democratic Institute]], was appointed as a third co-chair in 2019.<ref>{{Cite press release |url=https://www.debates.org/2019/10/01/commission-on-presidential-debates-elects-kenneth-wollack-as-co-chair/ |title=Commission on Presidential Debates Elects Kenneth Wollack as Co-Chair |website=Debates.org |date=October 1, 2019 |access-date=September 18, 2020}}</ref><ref name=PearceLATimes>Matt Pearce, Who's behind the presidential debates?, ''Los Angeles Times'' (2020).</ref> Hernandez, formerly a CPD vice-chair, was selected as co-chair in 2022.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.debates.org/2022/ |title=Commission on Presidential Debates Elects Antonia Hernández as Co-Chair |work=Commission on Presidential Debates |date=April 25, 2022 }}</ref> 

As of 2024, the Commission's board consists of eight members:<ref name="CPDleadership"/> [[Roy Blunt]] (former Republican senator from Missouri),<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://debates.org/2024/01/16/roy-blunt/index.html |title=Commission on Presidential Debates Elects former Senator Roy Blunt to Board of Directors |work=Commission on Presidential Debates |date=January 16, 2024 }}</ref> [[Charles Gibson]] (a longtime television journalist, formerly of [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.princeton.edu/news/2014/04/24/tilghman-princeton-alumni-elected-commission-presidential-debates |title=Tilghman, Princeton alumni elected to Commission on Presidential Debates |work=Princeton University |date=April 24, 2014 }}</ref><ref name=Tomasky2020>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Tomasky |author-link=Michael Tomasky |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-demolishing-our-democracy-does-the-debate-commission-care |title=There's No Debating That Donald's Destroying Democracy |work=Daily Beast |date=September 30, 2020 |access-date=14 October 2024 }}</ref> John Griffen (managing director of [[Allen & Co.]]);<ref name=Tomasky2020/> the Reverend [[John I. Jenkins]] (the president of the [[University of Notre Dame]]),<ref name=Tomasky2020/> [[Monica C. Lozano]] (the president and CEO of the College Futures Foundation),<ref name=June2022CPD>{{cite press release |url=https://debates.org/2022/06/ |title=Commission on Presidential Debates Elects Monica C. Lozano and Dr. Rajiv J. Shah to Board of Directors |work=Commission on Presidential Debates |date=June 6, 2022 |access-date=14 October 2024 }}</ref> [[Richard D. Parsons]] (a cable executive),<ref name=Tomasky2020/>  [[Rajiv Shah|Rajiv J. Shah]] (the president of the [[Rockefeller Foundation]] and former administrator of [[USAID]]),<ref name=June2022CPD/> and [[Olympia Snowe]] (former Republican senator from Maine).<ref name=Tomasky2020/> 

Past board members include [[John Danforth|John C. Danforth]] (former Republican senator from Missouri),<ref>{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Concha |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/522013-ex-gop-senator-on-debate-commission-blasts-trumps-bias-accusations-warns-of/ |title=Ex-GOP senator on debate commission blasts Trump's bias accusations, warns of 'incalculable damage' |work=The Hill |date=October 21, 2020 }}</ref> Yvonne Hao (an investor and businesswoman),<ref name=Tomasky2020/><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.debates.org/2019/10/02/commission-on-presidential-debates-elects-yvonne-hao-to-board-of-directors/ |title=Commission on Presidential Debates Elects Yvonne Hao to Board of Directors |work=Commission on Presidential Debates |date=October 2, 2019 }}</ref> [[Jane Harman]] (a former Democratic congresswoman who later became director of the [[Woodrow Wilson Center]])<ref name=Tomasky2020/><ref name=ThomasWSJ/> and [[Newton N. Minow]] (a former member of the [[Federal Communications Commission]] during the [[John F. Kennedy administration]]).<ref name="CPDleadership"/><ref name=Tomasky2020/> Other past board members include [[Shirley M. Tilghman]], [[Richard Moe]], [[Kay Orr]], [[Leon E. Panetta]], [[Mitch Daniels]], and [[ Caroline B. Kennedy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.debates.org/about-cpd/former-board-members/ |title=Former Board Members |work=Commission on Presidential Debates |access-date=May 15, 2024 }}</ref>

[[Janet H. Brown]] has served as the CPD's [[executive director]]<ref name="CPDleadership"/> since the commission was established in 1987.<ref name=PearceLATimes/>

The commission's debates are sponsored by private contributions from foundations and corporations<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.debates.org/about-cpd/national-debate-sponsors/ |title=CPD: National Debate Sponsors |website=Debates.org |access-date=May 15, 2024}}</ref> as well as fees from hosting institutions.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=Rick |title=U-M will make bid to host 2020 presidential debate |url=https://record.umich.edu/articles/u-m-will-make-bid-host-2020-presidential-debate/ |date=April 3, 2019 |website=The University Record |publisher=The University of Michigan |access-date=2019-10-11}}</ref>

== Complaints from third parties ==
[[File:DebateCommissionProtest 2000.JPG|thumb|[[Christopher Hitchens]] speaking at a September 2000 third-party protest at the commission's headquarters]]
[[Third party (U.S. politics)|Third parties]] have often criticized exclusion of their candidates from debates, due to the CPD's rule (established in 2000) that candidates must garner at least 15% support across five national polls to be invited to the national debates.<ref>{{cite book |title=Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court Versus the American People |last=Raskin |first=Jamie |year=2003 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-93439-8 |page=126 |access-date=2012-10-04 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=debdnlrXYPIC&pg=PA126 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/thinktanked/wp/2012/10/03/presidential-debate-sponsors-drop-over-exclusion-of-gary-johnson/ |first=Allen |last=McDuffee |title=Presidential debate sponsors drop over exclusion of Gary Johnson |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=2012-10-03 |access-date=2012-10-13}}</ref> The last candidate from outside the two major parties to participate in a CPD-sponsored debate was [[Ross Perot]], who polled sufficiently high in his [[Ross Perot 1992 presidential campaign|1992 presidential campaign]] to debate [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[Bill Clinton]] in all three debates; Perot's running mate, [[James Stockdale]], also participated in the vice presidential debate.<ref name=Balz1996>{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Balz |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/09/18/perot-is-rejected-by-debates-panel/73752026-ca60-4e61-90e2-453e6adf038d/ |title=Perot Is Rejected By Debates Panel: 3rd-Party Bid Lacks 'Realistic Chance to Win' |newspaper=Washington Post |date=September 17, 1996 }}</ref> When Perot  [[Ross Perot 1996 presidential campaign|ran again in 1996]], the CPD declined to invite him to the debates, finding that the [[Reform Party of the United States of America|Reform Party]] candidate had no "realistic chance to win" the election.<ref name=Balz1996/>

Multiple lawsuits have been filed by third-party candidates challenging the CPD's policy of requiring a candidate to have 15% support in national polls to be included in presidential debates; all have been rejected by the courts.<ref>''[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=13932180046593162034 Johnson v. Comm'n on Presidential Debates]'', 869 F. 3d 976 (D.C. Cir. 2017).</ref><ref>''[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12690765273356538453 Crist v. Comm'n on Presidential Debates]'', 262 F. 3d 193 (2nd Cir. 2001).</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ryan|first=Tim|date=2020-06-12|title=Court Rejects Push to Have Debates Welcome 3rd-Party Candidates|url=https://www.courthousenews.com/court-rejects-push-to-have-debates-welcome-3rd-party-candidates/ |access-date=2020-08-10|website=Courthouse News Service|language=en-US}}</ref>

In October 2004, [[United States Libertarian Party|Libertarian]] candidate [[Michael Badnarik]] and [[Green Party (United States)|Green Party]] candidate [[David Cobb (activist)|David Cobb]] were arrested while protesting against CPD for excluding third-party candidates from the nationally televised debates in [[St. Louis, Missouri]].<ref name="BBC-2004-10-13">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2004-10-13 |title=Opponents fail to stop US debate |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3740146.stm |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |access-date=2016-09-26 }}</ref> In  October 2012, [[Green Party (United States)|Green Party]] presidential nominee [[Jill Stein]] and vice-presidential nominee [[Cheri Honkala]] were arrested for disorderly conduct while trying to take part in the second presidential debate at [[Hofstra University]] in Hempstead, New York.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hofstra-debate-jill-stein-arrested-green-party_n_1971960 |title=Jill Stein Arrested Before Hofstra Debate |publisher=[[HuffPost]] |date=October 16, 2012 |access-date=October 16, 2012 |first=Joanna |last=Zelman}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2012/oct/18/green-partys-stein-missing-voices-presidential-debates/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130416073957/http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2012/oct/18/green-partys-stein-missing-voices-presidential-debates/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 16, 2013 |title=Green Party's Stein Talks Arrest, Presidential Debates |publisher=WNYC |date=October 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/18/jill-stein-arrest-green-party-presidential-debate |author=Amy Goodman |title=Green party candidate Jill Stein's arrest highlights presidential debate stitch-up |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=October 18, 2012 |location=London}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
*{{Official website}}

{{United States presidential debates}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:United States presidential debates]]
[[Category:1987 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1987]]