The New York City Campaign Finance Board on Thursday announced the dates and sponsors of this year’s official mayoral debates.
The first Democratic primary debate will take place at Town Hall, on Wednesday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m. and will be open to all candidates who have raised and spent $50,000 and have the support of at least 2 percent of registered voters according to either the Marist or the Quinnipiac poll.
The second debate will be at WNBC-TV studios on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. and will be limited to “leading contenders,†defined as candidates who either have raised $1,285,200 or have raised and spent $250,000 and have at least 7 percent support in either of the polls.
The Republican primary debates will take place at the City University of New York Graduate Center on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. and at WNBC-TV studios on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 11:30 a.m. The criteria for participation will be the same as for the Democratic debates.
The primary election is scheduled for Sept. 10.
Because the field of candidates is bigger this year than in recent elections, the board lowered the threshold for participating in the first primary debate. In 2009, candidates had to have at least a 5 percent standing in the polls to take part.
If there is a runoff vote in the Democratic primary, a debate between the candidates will be at the CUNY Graduate Center on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m.
The first general election debate will be at the CUNY Graduate Center on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m., open to all candidates who have raised and spent $50,000 and have 5 percent support in the Marist or Quinnipiac poll. The second debate will take place at the Saturday Night Live Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. and will be limited to those who either have raised $1,285,200 or have raised and spent $500,000 and have 15 percent support in the polls. The general election will be on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The debates are overseen by the Campaign Finance Board, and all candidates who participate in the city’s public financing program and who meet the thresholds are required to participate.
Perhaps given the wide-open race, there was more interest than in previous years from organizations in sponsoring debates, and the board selected an unusually large and diverse group of sponsors, who pay to be hosts.
The 15 groups include not only major media organizations but also groups like the Citizens Committee for New York City, which finances neighborhood improvement projects in low-income areas; the Hispanic Federation, an association of Hispanic community service agencies; Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group that promotes cycling, walking, and public transportation; and the blog Gothamist.
“The goal of how we chose our sponsors is really to get the broadest range of audience members, the broadest range of issues, and have the best possible debates for all New Yorkers,†Amy Loprest, the campaign finance board’s executive director, said in a news conference on the steps of City Hall, where she was joined by representatives of the sponsors.
Asked how significant these debates were after the dozens of mayoral forums sponsored by various groups around the city, Ms. Loprest said the board’s debates would be different because candidates who participate in the public financing system must attend and because the sponsors were nonpartisan.
The debates will all be broadcast live, including on Spanish-language television stations, and will also be streamed live on each sponsor group’s Web site and on the campaign finance board’s Web site.
