Hofstra University in Hempstead will be the site of the first presidential debate of the 2016 election this September, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced Tuesday.
This is the third consecutive presidential election in which Hofstra will host a debate.
Hofstra, which was originally chosen as an alternate location, was confirmed as debate host after Wright State University on Tuesday pulled out of holding the event on its Ohio campus.
The debate is scheduled for Sept. 26 and will pit presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton against billionaire businessman Donald Trump, whose nomination is expected to be confirmed at this week’s Republic National Convention in Cleveland.
“Hofstra University is honored to be called on to host the first presidential debate on Sept. 26, 2016,” Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz said in a statement. “This is an extraordinary privilege and responsibility. We greatly appreciate the faith shown in us by the Commission on Presidential Debates, and we have begun preparations for a very successful debate.”
In its statement on Tuesday the Commission on Presidential Debates noted that Hofstra “served very successfully as a presidential debate site in 2012.”
“The Commission looks forward to working with Hofstra once again,” the statement added.
Wright State University on Tuesday cited rising costs with its decision to withdraw from hosting the debate, according to Dayton Daily News.
In a series of Tweets, the university’s president, David R. Hopkins, said the decision “has weighted heavily on my heart.”
In a decision that has weighed heavily on my heart, Wright State will step down from hosting the presidential debate.
— David R. Hopkins (@PresidentDHOP) July 19, 2016
The decision to withdraw from the debate is a reflection of our commitment to safety and operating within a fiscally responsible budget.
— David R. Hopkins (@PresidentDHOP) July 19, 2016
Thank you to the Wright State community and all of Raider Country, especially our host committee, for your support through this journey.
— David R. Hopkins (@PresidentDHOP) July 19, 2016
Hofstra is one of only two schools to host consecutive presidential debates, in 2008 and 2012, and the first to ever host three in a row.
But Hofstra’s presidential history began long before the 2008 and 2012 debates.
Hofstra has hosted 12 presidential conferences, covering every president from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to George W. Bush, and five presidents have visited the campus: Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Besides John McCain and Mitt Romney, Hofstra is also home to the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, which boasts former 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Howard B. Dean as a presidential fellow who guest lectures several times each semester.
In 2012, hundreds of protesters and activists held demonstrations on a variety of issues outside the campus on Hempstead Turnpike and the surrounding area. Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, who is running again this year, was arrested at the university’s front entrance after trying to bring attention to the United States’ two-party system and the inability of third-party candidates to participate in the debate.
It’s unclear how much hosting the event and providing adequate security will cost Hofstra and Nassau County.
Trump’s rally at Bethpage this spring cost Nassau County police an estimated $400,000 in overtime and related expenses.
Tickets for the Hofstra debate will be distributed to current university students through a lottery, the university said.
“Tickets will not be available through Hofstra University personnel, and tickets are not available through any means at this point in time,” Hofstra said on its website.
This story has been updated to include information about tickets for the event.
