The Democratic National Committee on Tuesday announced that its third presidential primary debate will be held in Houston in September.
The first night of the debate, hosted by ABC News in partnership with Univision, will be on Sept. 12, with a “potential” second night on Sept. 13.
The first two debates are being held over two nights to accommodate the relatively large field.
Candidates will learn whether they qualify for the next debate, to be held July 30-31 in Detroit, on July 17.
CNN, which is hosting the second debate, also laid down some of the ground rules for the Detroit debate on Tuesday.
The network said there will be no “show of hands” or one-word, “down-the-line” questions, and that candidates who persistently interrupt will have their speaking time reduced.
The DNC had already stepped up its qualification requirements for the third debate. Candidates have to register 2% support in at least four qualifying polls, plus prove they’ve received contributions from at least 130,000 donors, including 400 from 20 states.
For the first two debates, candidates could qualify by registering 1% support in at least three polls, or by showing they’ve gotten contributions from at least 65,000 donors, including 200 from 20 states.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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