Miami gets 2nd debate after Michigan pullout
Miami will substitute as a presidential debate site after a venue in Ann Arbor, Mich., withdrew over concerns about holding a largescale event in the continuing coronavirus pandemic, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced Tuesday.
The commission announced that the second presidential debate, scheduled for Oct. 15, will be held at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County in Miami.
“This debate was originally scheduled for the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and the University has concluded that it is not feasible to host the presidential debate as planned,” the commission said in a statement.
Plans by the University of Michigan to withdraw as a debate host were first reported by the Detroit Free Press. On Monday, the university announced that it would resume in-person instruction on its Ann Arbor campus in the fall but that large classes would continue to be held remotely.
The move of the debate site marks the second time in recent weeks that Florida has stepped forward to host a major political event, even as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the state.
Earlier this month, the Republican National Committee announced that it would move President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech and other major convention events to Jacksonville, Fla., after clashing with officials in North Carolina over safety precautions for a large-scale gathering there.
Joe Biden’s campaign on Monday committed to three scheduled debates with Trump in September and October and criticized the president for taking varied positions on whether he would participate in debates and how many.
The campaign’s letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, obtained by The Washington Post and written by Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon, said Biden would participate in the debates already planned by the commission, which would be on Sept. 29, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22. Biden’s yet-to-benamed running mate would participate in an Oct. 7 vice presidential debate.
The commission plans to hold the first presidential debate at the University of Notre Dame near South Bend, Ind., and the third at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. The sole vice presidential debate is scheduled to be held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
The University of Michigan announced Monday the it would resume face-to-face instruction in the fall but said many classes would remain online or be some sort of hybrid. President Mark Schlissel said the university was planning a “public health informed” semester.