The Democratic National Committee announced Friday where in Ohio it plans to hold the next Democratic presidential debate.
The DNC is selecting Otterbein University in Westerville to host.
CNN and the New York Times will co-host on Oct. 15, with the possibility that a second night may be added at the suburban Columbus college.
CNN's Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett and The New York Times' Marc Lacey will moderate.
"What we've seen in the suburbs of Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and other cities mirrors what has happened in places like Harris County, Texas, and Orange County, California -- suburban voters, particularly women, are backing Democratic candidates in response to the broken promises and toxic agenda of Donald Trump," says Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper in a statement.
Candidates must have a 2% polling threshold in four DNC-approved polls and at least 130,000 unique donors, including 400 per state from at least 20 states, to qualify, according to a CNN report.
As for Friday afternoon, the broadcaster says 11 candidates report they've met the qualifications.
They include:
- Joe Biden
- Cory Booker
- Pete Buttigieg
- Julián Castro
- Kamala Harris
- Amy Klobuchar
- Beto O'Rourke
- Bernie Sanders
- Tom Steyer
- Elizabeth Warren
- Andrew Yang
The Ohio Republican Party was less than impressed. Press Secretary Elizabeth Giannone issued the following statement:
"The 2020 Democratic candidates can debate in Ohio all they want, but Ohioans have made it clear that their radical ideas are not welcome here. President Trump's pro-growth policies have created a booming economy, and in 2016 we flipped traditionally blue counties red. President Trump won Ohio by 8 points and we are still feeling that momentum thanks to the president's leadership. The Democrats' radical agendas, policies that will only result in higher taxes on the middle class, simply don't resonate here."
Interestingly, notes Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles, Republican former Governor John Kasich works at both CNN and Otterbein.
