208,000 Americans Join Bernie Sanders In Calling For More Presidential Debates

More than 208,000 Americans have joined Bernie Sanders in calling on the Democratic Party to hold more presidential debates.

In a statement, the Sanders campaign announced the growing demand for more debates:

More than 208,000 people have signed an online petition at BernieSanders.com calling on the Democratic National Committee to host more presidential debates.

“The people of this country are tired of political gossip, personal attacks and ugly 30-second ads. They want the candidates to engage in serious discussions about the very serious issues facing our country today,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said in an e-mail asking supporters to sign the petition.

Earlier this month, Sen. Sanders called for presidential debates to be held across the country, “I also think it is important for us to debate not only in the early states but also in many states which currently do not have much Democratic presidential campaign activity. While a number of these non-target states have not in the past had much-organized campaign presence, I believe it is critical for the Democratic Party and progressive forces in America to engage voters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. By expanding the scope geographically of debates beyond the early calendar states we can begin to awaken activism at the grassroots level in those states and signal to Democrats and progressives in places like Texas, Mississippi, Utah, and Wyoming that their states are not forgotten by the Democratic Party.”

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are scheduled to debate six times during the Democratic primary, but the demand for more debates has been growing among Democrats.

With Bernie Sanders gaining ground on Hillary Clinton, it is no surprise that the challenger would be advocating for more debates. Former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton has little to gain by debating Bernie Sanders fifteen or twenty times, but if the Democratic race continues to tighten, there will be mounting pressure on the Democratic Party to add more debates.

Six debates feels like too few for such a long primary campaign. Democrats should consider adding at least two or three more debates so that voters will have the chance to compare fully their choices side by side.