Viewing parties for CNN’s telecast of the first debate of the 2016 election cycle involving Democratic presidential candidates are planned today in downtown Los Angeles, the mid-Wilshire district, the Fairfax district and Pasadena.
The watch parties will be held at:
— Bugatta Supper Club, 7174 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles;
— Busby’s East, 5364 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles;
— Gamz Sports & Karaoke Bar, 500 Spring St., downtown Los Angeles;
— Marash Armenian Center, 463 Martelo Ave., Pasadena; and
— Regent Theater, 448 S. Main St., downtown Los Angeles.
The five-candidate debate at the Wynn Las Vegas is set to start at 5:30 p.m. and may run up to 2 1/2 hours, according to CNN.
The debate will be moderated by “Anderson Cooper 360” anchor Anderson Cooper. CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash and Juan Carlos Lopez of CNN en Espanol will join Cooper in questioning the candidates.
Viewers may submit questions via Facebook or Instagram. “CNN Tonight” anchor Don Lemon will ask questions from viewers.
The debate will be shown on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Espanol.
CNN will also offer a live stream of the debate on CNN.com’s home page and across mobile platforms. All users will be able to watch CNN live online and on their mobile devices without logging in.
“I don’t think this is a debate where you’ll have candidates attack each other,” Cooper said in an interview on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” on Sunday.
“(Vermont Sen.) Bernie Sanders has been very clear. He’s not going to go after (former Secretary of State) Hillary Clinton by name. He’s not going to criticize her. And I see no reason Hillary Clinton would do that with any of the candidates.”
The other debaters will be former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb. Candidates were required to meet a 1 percent threshold to be invited.
“It’s important to give fair questions to everybody across the board,” Cooper said.
“I think it’s just as interesting to kind of learn about some of these candidates who the American public doesn’t really know much about as it is to hear from some of the candidates you do.”
The debate “is an opportunity for Governor O’Malley to introduce himself and make his case,” his press secretary Haley Morris told City News Service. “No other candidate has put forward a more bold or progressive policy vision than Governor O’Malley and no other candidate has the track record of 15 years of executive leadership getting progressive results.”
There was no immediate response to emails sent to the other four campaigns seeking comment.
