Democratic Debate - Climate Change

Climate Change Declined By DNC As Major Debate Topic For 1st Primary

by
  • Out of a number of Democratic candidates, twenty have been chosen for the first primary debate.
  • Climate change is a topic that voters would like to hear being discussed, however, the DNC has declined a debate centered around the issue.
  • The debate will take place in Miami, Florida, where climate change is a very big issue.

MIAMI – Political debate season is upon us. The first Democratic primary debate will begin on June 26th in Miami, Fl. Plenty of topics will be up for debate (pun intended) amongst the twenty candidates that were chosen over the course of two days. One topic that the public would like to be discussed is that of climate change and the views each candidate has on the subject.

However, the Democratic National Committee has declined the idea, fearing it would become a focal point through the duration of the debates. Some candidates have centered their campaigns around the topic and the DNC worries it would allow them an unfair advantage.

“As Chair of the DNC, I am committed to a fair, transparent, and inclusive 2020 Democratic primary process.” Head of the DNC, Tom Perez wrote in a post on The Medium.

Polls suggest that more than three-quarters of Democratic voters want the candidate they vote for to make climate change their number one priority. The idea that Perez had to ban an issue from being a key topic in the debates is a reflection of how big the topic is for the general population and voters in this election. In Washington, protestors for a climate change debate were seen outside of the DNC headquarters on Wednesday.

In an email to VOX,  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) wrote, “A lot has changed over the past few years as climate change has increasingly become a voting issue. The DNC is deservedly feeling pressure to do a far better job on climate than in the last primary debates.”

Will the topic of climate change be discussed in future debates? If the public or the media has anything to say about it, it will be. Don’t expect it to be discussed in depth during the first primary debate in late June, as that decision has already been made.

Who Was Chosen For The First Democratic Primary Debate?

There are two ways that a candidate can qualify for a debate, through either polling or fundraising. To be allowed on stage, they must have the support of a 1% minimum in three qualifying polls or have 200 or more donors from at least 20 states. 65,000 of those donors must be unique and evidence of these donors has to be documented and then given to the DNC.

The 20 candidates that have made their way to center stage for the debate are:

The four candidates that did not make the cut were:

"I am the only one in the field that won in a Trump state and we need to win back some of the places we've lost," Montana Governor Steve Bullock said when expressing his disappointment in an interview on Meet the Press Daily.

NBC News and MSNBC will be televising the two-day event beginning June 26th at 9 pm ET. Look for continuing coverage at ElectionOdds.com

Leave a Comment