Dates set for U.S. general election debates

While the Republican presidential nomination is far from settled, the dates and sites for debates between the Republican nominee and President Barack Obama have been announced. Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., and Michael D. McCurry, co-chairmen of the non-partisan, non-profit Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) on Monday announced sites and dates for three presidential and one vice presidential debates during the 2012 general election. The first presidential debate will be held on Oct. 3 at the University of Denver, Denver, Colorado. It will be followed by a vice presidential debate on Oct. 11 at the Centre College, Danville, Kentucky. The second and third presidential debates are scheduled on Oct. 16 at the Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, and Oct. 22 at the Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida, respectively. Following the announcement, Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina released a statement. "The President looks forward to next year's debates," the statement said. "Once the Republicans have selected their candidate, we will work through the details with their campaign and the Commission on Presidential Debates."