CAMPAIGN ’88 : Meetings on Debates
The Bush and Dukakis campaign managers will meet today in Washington to open negotiations on dates and formats for fall presidential debates, Janet H. Brown, executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates, said Monday.
Dukakis campaign manager Paul P. Brountas and Bush campaign manager James A. Baker III may come to some decisions at the meeting but most likely will need more sessions, Brown said, adding that she will meet separately with the two after their meeting.
The bipartisan commission has tentatively scheduled debates on Sept. 14 in Annapolis, Md., Sept. 25 at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N. C., Oct. 11 in Omaha, and Oct. 27 in Pittsburgh.
Dukakis has already agreed to that schedule, Brown said, but the Bush campaign has said the first date is much too early.
She said her “sense” was that the Bush strategy would be to seek only two debates.
The problem with rescheduling debates, she said, is that the World Series and the Summer Olympics have taken almost all of the desirable network television time slots. She said only Oct. 14 and 21 stood out as possible dates not already scheduled for a commission debate.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
