NPC Virtual Newsmaker: The Commission on Presidential Debates

All three co-chairs of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) -- Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., Dorothy S. Ridings, and Kenneth Wollack -- will join National Press Club (NPC) President Michael Freedman to discuss the upcoming 2020 general election presidential debates as part of a special NPC Virtual Newsmaker on Tuesday, September 1 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

This one-hour program will stream live on the Club’s website and YouTube Channel, and is accessible to both the media and members of the general public free-of-charge. Viewers can send their questions for the co-chairs in advance or during the live program via email to [email protected]. 

This will be the first on-camera interview with all three co-chairs as the CPD finalizes preparations for the first presidential debate scheduled for September 29, and co-hosted by Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic at the Health Education Campus in Cleveland, OH. Acutely aware of the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the debates, the CPD recently announced that the Cleveland Clinic would serve as Health Security Advisor for all four 2020 general election debates.

The non-profit and non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates has sponsored and produced all general election presidential debates since 1987. Founded as a private and independent 501c3 organization, the CPD does not receive any funding from the government, any political party, political action committee or candidate, and was formed fundamentally “to ensure, for the benefit of the American electorate, that general election debates are held every four years between and among the leading candidates for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States.”