It was announced that the second 2020 presidential debate will now be held in Miami instead of at the University of Michigan, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) said in Tuesday’s statement.
What We Know:
- The University of Michigan, located in Ann Arbor, concluded that it was not feasible to host the debate as originally planned, according to the CPD’s press release, and did not elaborate any further. The debate is scheduled for Oct. 15th at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida, which hosted the first Democratic primary debate last year, but under different circumstances.
- There are rumored reports that the Univ. of Michigan was concerned about having a gathering, which would potentially bring people from all over the country to their campus – media, supporters, and the campaign staff. Miami’s Arsht Center, located in downtown, however, seems to not share those same concerns for their city and its residents.
- Michigan was hit hard by COVID-19 and their Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, imposed a stay home order for almost two months, despite receiving criticism from President Trump. In Miami, Republican governor, Rick DeSantis, mandated a 30-day stay at home order after receiving criticism for keeping the state open during spring break where some attendees became sick and some died after attending crowded South Florida bars.
- Since Florida implemented Phase I and opened up all nonessential businesses and beaches, there has been a spike in the percentage of positive coronavirus cases. Earlier this week, Florida hit the 100,000 infected mark and has confirmed another 2,926 daily coronavirus cases with Miami-Dade’s largest cities are required to now wear masks in public.
- The second debate on Oct. 15th in Miami will take the form of a town hall meeting, where Miami residents will be posing questions to President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. The presidential debates will be 90 minutes in length and will be moderated by a single individual, the commission said. The first and third debates will be divided into segments, with the first taking place on Sept. 29th at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and the third on Oct. 22 at Belmont University in Nashville.
All the debates will be following the CDC, state, county, and site health and safety protocols, the commission said on Tuesday.
