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Washington University is one of about a dozen sites around the nation being considered as a potential host of the fall 2000 presidential debates, according to an Oct. 13 announcement by Paul G. Kirk Jr. and Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., co-chairmen of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).
The University hosted the first presidential debate held before the 1992 election and prepared to host a 1996 presidential debate, but it eventually was cancelled.
Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said he is excited that St. Louis again is being considered for one of four internationally televised debates planned for fall 2000.
"On behalf of the whole community, let me say how pleased we are at the prospect of hosting one of the world's most-watched events," Wrighton said. "We look forward to the possibility of helping bring this important event back to St. Louis. We stand prepared to do an outstanding job for the commission, the candidates and the St. Louis region."
The University is offering the same venue -- the Field House -- that was made available for the 1992 and 1996 debates.
"We also are offering the expertise of our staff and the enthusiastic volunteer assistance of our students to assure the commission that again we will help make the event a success," Wrighton said. "And we are extremely pleased that the Anheuser-Busch Cos. will underwrite the cost of the debate if Washington University is selected."
Debate organizers expect that the three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate will be held in the fall, but no dates have been set yet.
The CPD, a nonpartisan, non-profit organization established in 1987, is responsible for selecting the venues and producing the presidential debates. Debate Commission Executive Director Janet H. Brown said the commission had received bids to host the 2000 debates from universities and cities throughout the nation. The commission board is expected to announce the four debate sites in early 2000.
The Field House was the site of the first nationally televised three-candidate presidential debate Oct. 11, 1992, featuring President George Bush, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and Reform Party candidate Ross Perot.
CPD officials have praised the University for an "extraordinary job" in preparing for the 1992 debate on very short notice. That year, the University had only seven days to transform the hardwood-floor gymnasium of the Field House into a red-carpeted debate hall. The 1996 debate scheduled at the University was later canceled when candidates negotiated a reduction in the number of presidential debates from three to two.
The 11-member debate commission is based in Washington, D.C. In addition to co-chairmen Fahrenkopf and Kirk, other board members include former Sen. John C. Danforth, now a partner with the St. Louis law firm of Bryan Cave LLP; U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell (R., Ga.); Antonia Hernandez, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund; and Newton N. Minow, past chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Honorary co-chairmen are former Presidents Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.
