Washington, Aug 7 (IANS/EFE) The first televised debate among the five Democratic aspirants for the White House will be held on October 13 in Nevada and will be broadcast by CNN, the Democratic National Committee announced on Thursday.
Thus, the debate will take place two months after the first Republican presidential debate, which will be held on August 13 in Cleveland and will be broadcast by Fox News.
The DNC said on Thursday that there will be six debates and that the one in Nevada will be followed on November 14 by one in Iowa, another on December 19 in New Hampshire and a fourth in January in South Carolina.
Then, in February or March, after the Iowa caucuses that begin the primary season, there will be two more debates in Florida and Wisconsin on yet-to-be-announced dates.
According to the voter surveys, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton is the front-runner among the Democratic presidential hopefuls, who include Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, former Senator Jim Webb of Virginia and the ex-governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee.
DNC president Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a communique that the six scheduled debates will serve to give voters the opportunity to listen to the proposals for the future by each candidate.
In addition, those candidates will have the chance to clearly contrast the values of the Democratic Party, which is focused on strengthening the middle class, with those of the Republicans, who pursue utopian and old-fashioned policies, she said.
--IANS/EFE
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