When is The Next Democratic Presidential 2015 Debate? ABC Schedule, Candidates, Controversy With WMUR

Dec 14, 2015 11:44 AM EST

The next Democratic National debate will take place in Manchester, New Hampshire at St. Anselm College.  This is the third debate with all three Democratic candidates (Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley), and the last presidential debate for 2015.  It will be broadcast on ABC, and there are ways that it can be live streamed and watched online.  The issue is a labor dispute between former co-sponsor WMUR, there could be some problems before the candidates arrive at the debating arena. 

The big three will step into the debating hall with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton currently leading the race, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in second, and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley coming in third.  According to the Observer, anyone with an Internet connection should be able to stream the debate for free on multiple platforms.  ABC News is going to stream the debate, and it can also be streamed for free on the ABC News mobile app.  It is also available on Apple TV, Roku, and the Xbox One. 

According to the ABC Schedule, the time of the Democratic debate is slated to take place at 5:00.  Granted, that a search done on Pacific Coast time, so you might want to see when it airs in your time zone.  The event is planned to start on 8 PM Eastern Time (7 PM CT). 

A recent report from Politico states that New Hampshire's most influential television station, WMUR, is being pushed out of next week's Democratic debate.  The reason is a labor dispute between a handful of employees at WMUR and its owner, Hearst.  WMUR was going to be a co-sponsor, and all three presidential candidates had urged a resolution of the dispute, according to Variety

According to Political Monitor, a DNC spokeswoman Kaylie Hanson has stated:  "It's certainly an option to drop WMUR as a co-sponsor of the debate, but we expect that the issue will be resolved in time for the debate." 

The eighth and final debate for 2016's presidential election in 2015 will take place at 8 PM at the Carr Center on the Saint Anselm campus, and will be moderated by ABC's World News Tonight Anchor David Muir with CNN Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz with WMUR-TV Political Director Josh Mcelveen.  Considering what has already been said about WMUR, perhaps a settlement will be reached that will keep him there. 

The official hashtag for the event will be #YourVoiceYourVote, and here are the Twitter handles of the moderators:  @DavidMuir @MarthaRaddatz @JoshMcElveen.

For those interested in following the presidential race on both sides, the fifth Republican debate will air on CNN at 6:00 PM ET and 8:30 ET on Tuesday, December 15.  Then the third Democratic Debate airing on ABC on Saturday, December 19th 

In looking forward to the next year, the Fox Business Network will host the sixth Republican debate on Thursday, January 14 at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, South Carolina, two days after President Barrack Obama's last State of the Union address.  The Fourth Democratic Debate will be on January 17, 2016, in Charleston, SC, sponsored by NBC News, Congressional Black Caucus Institute, and the South Carolina Democratic Party.