Home Law School News Drake to host nationally televised DNC debate

Drake to host nationally televised DNC debate

Drake University and the Iowa Democratic Party will host a live, nationally televised debate among Democratic presidential candidates in Sheslow Auditorium on Nov. 14, 2015.

The debate, which is sponsored by CBS News and KCCI, in conjunction with The Des Moines Register, will be broadcast by CBS beginning at 8 p.m. (CST).

Drake Law School’s Kern Commons will be the site of the “spin room,” where reporters talk with the candidates and representatives following the debate. Several Drake Law students will have the opportunity to serve as volunteers inside the spin room.

“We are honored to again play a central role in the presidential election process,” said Drake University President Earl F. Martin. “As Des Moines’ largest private university we believe we have a core responsibility to promote civil dialogue and serve as a hub for civic and political engagement. From our location in Iowa’s capital, we are proud to have developed a reputation as the capital of the Iowa caucuses.”

The Drake University campus has become a fixture in the nation’s presidential election process. The University has hosted at least one nationally televised presidential candidate debate during each presidential campaign cycle since 2007, extending Drake’s visibility to millions of households across the country and around the world.

Drake students are among the chief beneficiaries of the campus’ vibrant political environment.

“Students of all fields of study have a rich diversity of opportunities to experience the political process in a variety of forms,” said Associate Professor of Political Science Rachel Paine Caufield, director of Drake’s Iowa Caucus Project. “Our students benefit from paid internships with national media outlets, personal meetings with candidates, interactions with hundreds of journalists, and prime seats to prime-time news events. We are excited about the opportunity to partner with CBS News, KCCI, and The Des Moines Register on this upcoming debate, and we look forward to a multitude of other opportunities that may arise this campaign season.”

For more information about the debate, visit news.drake.edu/debate.