- The Democratic National Committee has previously refused debates centered around climate change.
- President Donald Trump has been heard mocking the scientific explanation of climate change being a reality.
- Senator Bernie Sanders calls climate change a “climate emergency.”
NEW YORK – CNN will allow the 2020 Democratic candidates a chance to speak on climate change. The network will be holding a town hall centered around climate change for candidates to discuss their views. All candidates who meet the requirements for the third Democratic primary debate will be eligible to be a part of the town hall discussion.
“For weeks, Americans have demanded that the DNC host a #ClimateDebate. Today we won two huge victories,” the Sunrise Movement, an organization that advocates political action on climate change and has supported the Green New Deal,” the Sunrise Movement tweeted. “Our pressure is working.”
The Sunrise Movement is an organization that seeks action by politicians on the topic of climate change.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) have set the polling requirements for the third debate. Candidates must have a minimum of 2% in four different legitimate polls. The cutoff date is August 28th.
Candidates That Have Already Met The Requirements
Eight candidates have reached the goal set by the DNC and will be speaking at the third Democratic primary debate. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Senator Kamala Harris of California, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, Beto O’Rourke, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, former Vice President Joe Biden, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have all qualified.
These candidates will have a place on the CNN town hall stage that will be in New York City on September 4th. Climate change has been an issue that voters and progressives have been wanting to know more about. CNN has given the candidates a platform to discuss their views and how they plan to handle climate change if they were to be elected as President of the United States.
The third Democratic primary debate will be hosted by Texas Southern University in Houston. The two nights of debates will be held the week after the town hall discussion on September 12th and September 13th will definitely have an impact on candidates election odds.