NEW YORK (AP) – The political organization founded by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will host a bipartisan presidential forum on income inequality this December in early-voting Iowa.
The campaigns of all declared Democratic and Republican candidates will be notified of the details this week, a spokeswoman for The Progressive Agenda Committee told The Associated Press on Sunday. Official invitations will then go out to the top five candidates in each party based on Nov. 1 polls.
The event will be held Dec. 6 at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. The candidates will appear on stage one at a time to answer questions on issues of inequality by a panel of professors, experts and journalists.
“We believe this is an incredible opportunity for candidates to have the stage to themselves and to discuss their solutions for tackling income inequality,” said Geri Prado, the committee’s executive director.
None of the candidates have officially committed to attending the forum, though some – including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley – have previously expressed interest in attending. If one of the top five candidates declines an invitation, it will be extended to the sixth and, if needed, seventh place person in the polls.