Media

CNN to host two straight nights of Democratic town halls before NH primary

by Joe Concha - 01/24/20 2:56 PM ET

CNN announced Friday it will host eight Democratic presidential town halls over a two-night period from New Hampshire ahead of the party’s first primary slated for Feb. 11.

The network format has candidates appearing back-to-back on Feb. 5 and 6. Questions will come from either a CNN moderator or the audience at Saint Anselm College. Moderators will be announced at a later date.

“The audience will be comprised of invited New Hampshire Democrats and independents who say they will vote in the Democratic primary, as well as Saint Anslem College students,” according to CNN.

The full lineup will feature former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang and businessman Tom Steyer on Feb. 5, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick on Feb. 6.

CNN announced on Thursday it was canceling its previously scheduled Democratic presidential town halls ahead of the Iowa caucuses due to the Senate impeachment schedule. Those town halls were slated for Jan. 28 and Jan 29 at Drake University.

The cancellation came due to Sanders, Warren, Klobuchar and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) all returning to Capitol Hill to take part in the Senate trial of President Trump.