University of Utah to host 2024 presidential debate
Nov 20, 2023, 10:25 AM | Updated: 5:29 pm
FILE: Signs promoting the vice presidential debate are pictured on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
(Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The third and final 2024 presidential debate will take place at the University of Utah next October.
The nonpartisan, nonprofit Commission on Presidential Debates on Monday announced the sites for all three presidential debates and the vice presidential debate.
“This is a huge deal and a huge honor to our state, to our capital city,” Gov. Spencer Cox said.
The first two presidential debates will be hosted by Texas State University and Virginia State University in September while the vice presidential debate will take place at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania.
“We are deeply grateful to the University of Utah for hosting its second general election debate, to Lafayette College and Texas State University for the first CPD debates in Pennsylvania and Texas, and to Virginia State University for the first debate ever held at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU),” said CPD Co-Chairs Frank Fahrenkopf and Antonia Hernández.
NEWS: We’ll be hosting the third and final Presidential Debate next October 🇺🇸#UtahDebate2024 #Debates2024 #Election2024 https://t.co/S7CjCPr7o9 pic.twitter.com/mJceKixsCx
— University of Utah (@UUtah) November 20, 2023
“Students will get an opportunity to have a civics lesson up close and personal,” Cox said. “We certainly need more of that in our country: an understanding of who we are and why we are, the things that make our country great, the things that make our country not so great some days, and we tend to get a view of both of those when it comes to presidential politics and specifically debates.”
In 2020, the U. hosted the vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris.
“This is the second time that the commission of presidential debates has chosen the University of Utah- with the first being the 2020 Vice Presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence,” University of Utah President, Taylor Randall said. “We’re looking forward this time to hosting the main card without a pandemic and perhaps with fly abatement.”
“It will be an honor and a privilege to welcome the presidential candidates to #SLC for a debate about the most important issues affecting our country,” Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said on X. “We have a proven track record for hosting events on a global scale. We’ll be ready again to provide a welcoming environment for the candidates, the audience, and viewers worldwide.”
Presidential debate schedule
The debate in Utah will be held at Kingsbury Hall and will be the last debate before the 2024 presidential election. Here is the full list of presidential and vice presidential debates for 2024:
- First presidential debate: Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.
- Vice presidential debate: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
- Second presidential debate: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia.
- Third presidential debate: Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
