During the pre-primary period--the year following the mid-term elections--the field of presidential candidates takes shape, the race for money and campaign talent unfolds, and differences on issues between the candidates begin to crystallize.
The Busy Calendar
updated April 26, 2008
Debates and Forums
Broadcast debates and forums offer voters an opportunity to compare the candidates.  Individual debates and forums rarely prove decisive, in the sense that one candidate clearly outshines the others, but a series of strong performances can boost a candidacy, while gaffes or sub-par performances can undercut a candidate's prospects.

How informative an debate or forum is depends on such factors as which and how many candidates are participating, the moderator and his or her conduct, the audience and its conduct, and very importantly, the format.  The forum or debate sponsor(s), which may be a news organization (or organizations), the state party, an interest group, or a combination of these entities, sets the rules.  The distinction between a "debate" and a "forum" can be murky.  Many or most forums are basically joint or serial appearances.  Even if the candidates share the stage, direct exchanges between them are rare.  Questions may come from reporters or audience members or from e-mail submissions or video clips.  Some forums or debates have a theme, such as health care or "brown and black" issues; others are more encompassing.  In the past, some debates have come to resemble game shows, or have been badly chopped up with advertising breaks.

When ten or more candidates are vying for a party's nomination, it can be very difficult to produce a coherent event.  In this 2007-08 cycle some "lower tier" candidates complained that they were not been granted as much time as the media-designated frontrunners, raising the question of fairness.  Raise-your-hand, yes-or-no questions also came in for criticism as they do not allow the candidates to elaborate or explain their positions.  Each cycle minor controversies also arise over longshot candidates who are not invited to participate.  In 2007, on the Democratic side, former Sen. Mike Gravel made the cut for early televised debates, emerging as something of a gadfly in the process, but then was excluded, and as the season progressed into 2008 organizers kept Rep. Dennis Kucinich from participating in a number of debates.  On the Republican side businessman John Cox was not invited to participate in the televised debates.  Alan Keyes inexplicably showed up in the Des Moines Register debate.  (At the other extreme, if there is a strong frontrunner, he or she may choose to duck all but a few forums).  There have been suggestions that smaller groups of three or four candidates might hold debates.

While numerous primary debates and forums were proposed, many of them did not occur.  Democrats sought to introduce a measure of restraint on the number of debates by sanctioning six, one per month from July through December; ultimately five of these occured.  All told Democrats held 20 debates and Republicans 16.  The sheer number of such events as well as scheduling conflicts caused others to be canceled.  Additionally, once there is a strong frontrunner, he or she typically chooses to decline all but a few forums; this indeed happened in February 2008 when Obama and McCain were the frontrunners and Clinton and Huckabee pressed for debates.

MAJOR DEBATES (another view)

DEMOCRATIC...21 so far; little likelihood of more.
2007
APRIL
-April 26 - South Carolina Democratic Party/NBC News debate at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC.

MAY

JUNE
-June 3 - CNN/WMUR/New Hampshire Union Leader Democratic debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH.
-June 28 - PBS Democratic presidential forum at Howard University in Washington, DC.

JULY
-July 12 - Democratic Candidate Forum at the NAACP Annual Conference in Detroit, MI.
-**July 23 - YouTube/Google and CNN at The Citadel in Charleston, SC.

AUGUST
-Aug. 4 - Presidential Leadership Forum at the second annual Yearly Kos Convention in Chicago, IL.
-**Aug. 19 - ABC News and ABC5/WOI-TV/Iowa Democratic Party forum at Drake University in Des Moines, IA.

SEPTEMBER
-Sept. 9 - Univision Democratic forum at the University of Miami, in Miami, FL.

-**Sept. 26 - Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH.

OCTOBER
-**Oct. 30 - Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

NOVEMBER
-**Nov. 15 - CNN/Nevada Democratic Party Nevada Democratic Presidential Debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, NV (initially Nov. 4).  >

DECEMBER
-Dec. 1 - Iowa Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Candidate Forum in Des Moines, IA. >
-Dec. 4 - NPR/Iowa Public Radio Democratic debate at the State Historical Society of Iowa building in Des Moines, IA (initially Jan. 2008). >
-Dec. 13 - The Des Moines Register Republican Presidential Debate at Iowa Public Television's Maytag Auditorium in Johnston, IA. >

2008
JANUARY 2008
-Jan. 5 - ABC News, WMUR-TV and Facebook Democratic debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. >
-Jan. 15 - Presidential Debate on Brown-Black Issues at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas, NV. >
-Jan. 21 - Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute (CBC Institute)/CNN debate at the Palace Theater in Myrtle Beach, SC. >, more
-Jan. 31 - CNN/Los Angeles Times/Politico debate at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA. >

FEBRUARY
-Feb. 21 - CNN, Univision, and Texas Democratic Party presidential debate at the University of Texas in Austin, TX. >
-Feb. 26 - NBC Democratic debate at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, OH.

MARCH

APRIL
-Apr. 16 - ABC News and WPVI-TV Democratic debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA. >+
 

**On May 16, 2007 the DNC announced its six sanctioned debates of which five occured.

There were a lot, but there could have been more.  Here are some of the proposed Democratic debates that did not happen or were moved:
-Aug. 14, 2007 - FOX News/Nevada Democratic Party/Western Majority Project debate focusing on Western regional issues in Reno, NV. >
-Sept. 23, 2007 - Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute (CBC Institute)/FOX debate in Detroit, MI.  >
-Oct. 21, 2007 - ABC News/WMUR-TV/Union Leader Democratic debate in Manchester, NH. (ABC canceled)
-**Dec. 10, 2007 - CBS in Los Angeles, CA. (DNC canceled on Nov. 28 "due to the uncertainty created by the ongoing labor dispute between CBS and the Writers Guild of America.") >
-Dec. 17, 2007 - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation /CNN/THE POLITICO debate in Boston, MA. > (cancelation announced Dec. 10 "due to the early scheduling of the Iowa caucuses")
-Jan. 6, 2008 - The Des Moines Register Democratic Presidential Debate in Johnston, IA. (moved to Dec. 12, 2007)
-mid-Feb. 2008 - ABC, WISN-TV, Marquette University Law School and Wispolitics.com in Milwaukee, WI.
(Clinton accepted the invitation to debate at Marquette University, but Obama did not.  The Clinton campaign even ran a TV ad on Obama's refusal to participate in the debate).
-Apr. 27, 2008 - CBS News debate at North Carolina State University's RBC Center in Raleigh, NC. >
(Initially scheduled for April 19; on March 13 Obama had agreed to participate.  Date later changed to April 27; Clinton accepted but Obama did not.  Clinton campaign then came up with a proposal for Lincoln-Douglas style debates.) >
-before the May 6, 2008 primary - The Indiana Debate Commission proposed a debate to be carried by PBS and CNN. >
-The Clinton campaign pressed for debates in Oregon. >

REPUBLICAN ...16

2007
MAY
-May 3 - Reagan Presidential Library Foundation/MSNBC/THE POLITICO debate in Simi Valley, CA.
-May 15 - South Carolina Republican Party/FOX News debate at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC.

JUNE
-June 5 - CNN/WMUR/New Hampshire Union Leader Republican debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH.

JULY

AUGUST
-Aug. 5 - ABC News and ABC5/WOI-TV Republican forum at Drake University in Des Moines, IA. >, 2

SEPTEMBER
-Sept. 5 - FOX News/NHGOP Republican debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH.
-Sept. 27 - PBS Republican presidential forum at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. >

OCTOBER
-Oct. 9 - CNBC/MSNBC/Wall Street Journal Republican Debate at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, MI.
-Oct. 21 - Florida Republican Party/FOX News debate at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, FL. >

NOVEMBER
-Nov. 28 - RPOF, CNN and YouTube/Google debate at the Mahaffey Theater at the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts in St. Petersburg FL (initially scheduled for Sept. 17). >

DECEMBER
-Dec. 9 - Univision Network Presidential Forum at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL.
-Dec. 12 - The Des Moines Register Republican Presidential Debate at Iowa Public Television's Maytag Auditorium in Johnston, IA. >

2008
JANUARY 2008
-Jan. 5 - ABC News, WMUR-TV and Facebook Republican debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. >
-Jan. 6 - FOX News forum at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. +
-Jan. 10 - South Carolina Republican Party Presidential Candidates Debate at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, SC.>, +
-Jan. 24 - Republican Presidential Debate at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. >
-Jan. 30 - Reagan Presidential Library Foundation/CNN/Los Angeles Times/Politico debate in Simi Valley, CA. >

There were a lot, but there could have been more.  Here are some of the proposed Republican debates that did not happen or were moved:
-Sept. 16, 2007 - Univision Republican debate at BankUnited Center at the University of Miami, in Miami, FL. > (only McCain accepted; rescheduled Dec. 9)
-Sept. 17, 2007 - RPOF, CNN and YouTube/Google debate at the Mahaffey Theater at the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts in St. Petersburg FL. > (rescheduled for Nov. 28)
-Sept. 27, 2007 - NECN, NBC News, Dartmouth College and NHPR debate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH.  > (seeking to reschedule)
-Oct. 14, 2007 - ABC News/WMUR-TV/Union Leader Republican debate in Manchester, NH.  > (ABC canceled)
-Nov. 6, 2007 - MSNBC Republican debate at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA. > ("postponed due to candidate scheduling conflicts.")
-Dec. 3, 2007 - NPR/Iowa Public Radio Republican debate at the State Historical Society of Iowa building in Des Moines, IA (initially Jan. 2008). > (did not occur)
-Dec. 4, 2007 - Republican Party of Iowa/FOX News Channel debate.> (canceled)
-Jan. 5, 2008 - The Des Moines Register Republican Presidential Debate in Johnston, IA.  (moved to Dec. 13, 2007)
 
 

Debates and Forums Co-Sponsored by Network
ABC
Rep.- Aug. 5 - ABC News and ABC5/WOI-TV Republican forum at Drake University in Des Moines, IA. >, 2
Dem.-  **Aug. 19 - ABC News and ABC5/WOI-TV/Iowa Democratic Party forum at Drake University in Des Moines, IA.
Dem.-  Jan. 5 - ABC News, WMUR-TV and Facebook Democratic debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. >
Rep.-  Jan. 5 - ABC News, WMUR-TV and Facebook Republican debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. >

CNN
Dem.-  June 3 - CNN/WMUR/New Hampshire Union Leader Democratic debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH.
Rep.-  June 5 - CNN/WMUR/New Hampshire Union Leader Republican debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH.
Dem.-  **July 23 - YouTube/Google and CNN at The Citadel in Charleston, SC.
Dem.-  **Nov. 15 - CNN/Nevada Democratic Party Nevada Democratic Presidential Debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, NV (initially Nov. 4).  >
Rep.-  Nov. 28 - RPOF, CNN and YouTube/Google debate at the Mahaffey Theater at the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts in St. Petersburg FL (initially scheduled for Sept. 17). >
Dem.-  Jan. 21 - Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute (CBC Institute)/CNN debate at the Palace Theater in Myrtle Beach, SC. >, more
Rep.- Jan. 30 - Reagan Presidential Library Foundation/CNN/Los Angeles Times/Politico debate in Simi Valley, CA. >
Dem.-  Jan. 31 - CNN/Los Angeles Times/Politico debate at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA. >
Dem.-  Feb. 21 - CNN, Univision, and Texas Democratic Party presidential debate at the University of Texas in Austin, TX.

FOX News (all Rep.)
-May 15 - South Carolina Republican Party/FOX News debate at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC.
-Sept. 5 - FOX News/NHGOP Republican debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH.
-Oct. 21 - Florida Republican Party/FOX News debate at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, FL. >
-Jan. 6 - FOX News forum at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH.
-Jan. 10 - South Carolina Republican Party Presidential Candidates Debate at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, SC.>, +

NBC/MSNBC
Dem.- April 26 - South Carolina Democratic Party/NBC News debate at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC.
Dem.-  **Sept. 26 - Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH.
Rep.-  Oct. 9 - CNBC/MSNBC/Wall Street Journal Republican Debate at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, MI.
Dem.-  **Oct. 30 - Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.
Dem.-  Jan. 15 - Presidential Debate on Brown-Black Issues at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas, NV. >
Rep.-  Jan. 24 - Republican Presidential Debate at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. >
Dem.-  Feb. 26 - NBC Democratic debate at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, OH.

Others
Dem.-  June 28 - PBS Democratic presidential forum at Howard University in Washington, DC.
Dem.-  Sept. 9 - Univision Democratic forum at the University of Miami, in Miami, FL.
Dem.-  Dec. 1 - Iowa Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Candidate Forum in Des Moines, IA. >
Dem.-  Dec. 4 - NPR/Iowa Public Radio Democratic debate at the State Historical Society of Iowa building in Des Moines, IA (initially Jan. 2008). >
Rep.-  Dec. 9 - Univision Network Presidential Forum at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL.
Rep.-  Dec. 12 - The Des Moines Register Republican Presidential Debate at Iowa Public Television's Maytag Auditorium in Johnston, IA. >
Dem.-  Dec. 13 - The Des Moines Register Republican Presidential Debate at Iowa Public Television's Maytag Auditorium in Johnston, IA. >

(see also: 2004 debates and forums).

Note: In addition to debates there are myriad events where the candidates make their cases before the same audience.  Here are a few examples: MORE FORUMS
 
 
 
Copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action