Locations for 2024 presidential debates include an HBCU for the first time

Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The first presidential debates are set for 2024 as voters are less a year away from election day.

The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the dates and locations for the vice presidential debate and the three presidential debates at four select colleges and universities to host the events before the general election.

"The United States’ general election debates, watched live worldwide, are a model for many other countries: the opportunity to hear and see leading candidates address serious issues in a fair and neutral setting," commission co-chairs Frank Fahrenkopf and Antonia Hernández said in the announcement news release.

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The GOP will formally declare its nominees for president and vice president at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July, while Democrats declare their picks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.

Three GOP primary debates have already been held in Milwaukee, Miami and Simi Valley, California. Former president Donald Trump has maintained his status as a Republican frontrunner despite not attending any of this year's debates. President Joe Biden has not yet commented on next year's debate dates.

President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden appear in the first Presidential debate in the Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion at the Cleveland Clinic, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, in Cleveland.
President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden appear in the first Presidential debate in the Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion at the Cleveland Clinic, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, in Cleveland.

When and where are the presidential debates?

  • The first presidential debate is set for Sept. 16 at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.

  • The vice presidential debate is set for Sept. 25 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

  • The second presidential debate is set for Oct. 1 at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia.

  • The third presidential debate is set for Oct. 9 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

A HBCU will host a general election presidential debate for first time

On Oct. 1, 2024, Virginia State University will be the first historically Black college or university to host a general election presidential debate. The school founded in 1882 will host the broadcast in the campus' "state-of-the-art" Multipurpose Center.

"We are honored and grateful to have been chosen as a host for a 2024 Presidential Debate," VSU President Makola M. Abdullah said in a news release. "This is a historic moment for our university and for HBCUs nationwide."

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When is the next GOP presidential debate?

The fourth Republican presidential primary debate is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 7-9 p.m. Central time, according to a news release from the RNC. It will take place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the University of Alabama's Frank Moody Music Building.

Talk show host Megyn Kelly, NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas and Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson will moderate.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and businessperson Vivek Ramaswamy during the Republican National Committee presidential primary debate hosted by NBC News at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and businessperson Vivek Ramaswamy during the Republican National Committee presidential primary debate hosted by NBC News at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.

When is the next presidential election?

Nov. 5, 2024. Presidential elections are held in the United States every four years.

U.S. legal code dictates that federal elections be held "the Tuesday next after the 1st Monday in November." Presidential and congressional midterm elections are always held in even-numbered years (e.g. 2016, 2018, 2020.)

Contributing: Anna Kaufman, Gabe Hauari

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See the schedule, dates and locations for 2024 presidential debates