DNC says UCLA will no longer host upcoming Democratic debate
November 6, 2019
The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday announced that the University of California, Los Angeles, would no longer host the December presidential primary debate, citing a campus controversy related to an ongoing labor fight.
“In response to concerns raised by the local organized labor community in Los Angeles, we have asked our media partners to seek an alternative site for the December debate,” DNC senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill said in an emailed statement. “We will be in touch with more information when it is available.”
The news of the venue change from the party organization comes amid a boycott of speaking engagements at the University of California demanded by AFSCME Local 3299, the school’s largest employee union, which has been locked in a dispute with the the 10-campus system for nearly three years.
UCLA said in a statement that it did not wish to become a "distraction" for the upcoming debate. "With regret, we have agreed to step aside as the site of the debate rather than become a potential distraction during this vitally important time in our country’s history," the statement read.
POLITICO is partnering with PBS NewsHour to sponsor the December debate, which will be the sixth televised forum of the nominating contest.
To participate, candidates must either receive at least 4 percent support in four qualifying polls of primary voters nationally or in early-voting states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina); or they must receive at least 6 percent support in two qualifying early-state polls.
Candidates must also amass donations from at least 200,000 unique donors, with a minimum of 800 donors in 20 states, territories or Washington, D.C.
Six Democratic White House contenders have so far qualified for the December debate, including former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., California Sen. Kamala Harris and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Source: https://www.politico.com/
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