Participants in the news conference announcing the Washington University debate are (from left) Stephen Lambright, group vice president and general counsel at Anheuser-Busch; Andrew Taylor, Washington University trustee; John McDonnell, chairman of the Washington University board of trustees; Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton; and Dick Fleming, president and CEO, St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association.
Washington University selected to host presidential debate in 2000
St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 6, 2000 - Washington University in St. Louis will host the presidential debate scheduled for 8 p.m. CST on Oct. 17, 2000, according to an announcement made today by Paul G. Kirk Jr. and Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., co-chairmen of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). This is the third time the university has been selected by the CPD to host a debate.
The university hosted the first presidential debate held prior to the 1992 election and had been selected to host a 1996 presidential debate that eventually was cancelled. Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said he is excited that St. Louis again has been selected for one of four internationally televised debates planned for fall 2000.
As with previous presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, Anheuser-Busch will again underwrite the expenses for the St. Louis debate at Washington University. In addition to providing this support, Anheuser-Busch has been selected to be a national sponsor for all four debates for the 2000 presidential election.
"I am delighted that Washington University in St. Louis has been chosen as the site for a presidential debate," said Chancellor Wrighton. "The 1992 presidential debate was an extraordinary experience for Washington University and an educational opportunity for all of our students. Students will once again participate in the planning process, as will faculty and other members of the university community. The selection of St. Louis as a host is a credit to everyone in the region, all of whom came together to make the 1992 debate such a success."
The university is offering the same facilities that were made available for the 1992 and 1996 debates. All tickets to attend the Washington University debate are assigned by the CPD. As was done in 1992, any debate tickets that may be assigned to Washington University will be distributed only to students, who will be selected in a university-wide lottery, Wrighton said.
"It's a pleasure and honor for Anheuser-Busch to be part of this historic event in St. Louis," said Stephen K. Lambright, group vice president and general counsel for Anheuser-Busch Companies. "Since the St. Louis area was host to the famous Lincoln-Douglas debate in the 1850s, voters here have long recognized the importance of political debates as a forum to learn more about the views of candidates on key issues.
"Furthermore, we're delighted to not only be the sole sponsor of the debate at Washington University, but this year marks the first time we've been chosen as a national sponsor, which adds yet another St. Louis connection to all four 2000 presidential debates," Lambright continued.
"We are particularly pleased with the support once again being provided by Anheuser-Busch Companies by its sponsorship of the St. Louis debate, as well as the other corporations and institutions in the greater St. Louis area that also will assist in bringing the debate here," Wrighton added.
Debate organizers announced that the other debates will be held on Oct. 3, 5 and 11.
The CPD, a non-profit organization established in 1987, is responsible for selecting the venues and producing the presidential debates. Debate Commission Executive Director Janet H. Brown said the Commission had received bids to host the 2000 debates from universities and cities throughout the nation.
The Washington University Field House, located in the university's Athletic Complex, was the site of the first nationally televised three-candidate presidential debate on Oct. 11, 1992 -- featuring President George Bush, Gov. Bill Clinton and Reform Party candidate Ross Perot.
CPD officials have praised Washington University for an "extraordinary job" in preparing for the 1992 presidential debate on very short notice. That year, the university had only seven days to transform the hardwood-floor gymnasium of the Field House into a red-carpeted debate hall. In 1996, the university again was selected as a presidential debate site, but that event was later cancelled when candidates negotiated a reduction in the number of presidential debates from three to just two.
The 11-member debate commission is based in Washington, D.C. In addition to co-chairmen Fahrenkopf and Kirk, other board members include former Sen. John C. Danforth, now a partner with the St. Louis law firm of Bryan Cave LLP; U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell; Antonia Hernandez, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund; and Newton N. Minow, past chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Honorary co-chairmen are Presidents Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.
For other sites selected, see the CPD website.
