All Democratic and Republican presidential candidates have confirmed their attendance at two ABC News and ABC5/WOI-TV live debates that will take place at Drake University in August.
The 90-minute forums, moderated by ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos with additional questioning from David Yepsen, GR’85, of The Des Moines Register, will be held in Drake’s Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 2507 University Ave. The Republican debate will be Sunday, Aug. 5, and the Democratic debate will be Sunday, Aug. 19. The debates will begin at 8 a.m. Central Daylight Time and air across the country as a special edition of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”
“Drake University has long had a powerful commitment to serving as a place where the community comes together to address the vital issues of the day,” said Drake University President David Maxwell. “It is an honor and a privilege for us to serve in this capacity on a national scale in hosting these two debates.”
The candidates confirmed to attend the Republican debate are Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback; former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore; former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; California Congressman Duncan Hunter; Arizona Sen. John McCain; Texas Congressman Ron Paul; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo; and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson.
The Democratic debate is co-sponsored with the Iowa Democratic Party and sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee. All eight candidates have confirmed: Delaware Sen. Joe Biden; New York Sen. Hillary Clinton; Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd; former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards; former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel; Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich; Illinois Sen. Barack Obama; and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Information on tickets will be posted on the Drake homepage as soon as the information is available.
“I think it’s terrific that we are able to continue our ‘On the Trail’ series in Iowa with two live programs from a state crucial to the election process,” said Stephanopoulos, anchor of “This Week” and ABC News chief Washington correspondent. “This is an historic election and I look forward to bringing our viewers the first and only presidential candidate forums on Sunday morning television.”