Rep. Maloney & Colleagues Call for First Female Presidential Debate Moderator in 20 Years

New York – Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) joined House colleagues in writing to the Co-Chairs of the Commission on Presidential Debates to urge its members to select a woman moderator for one of the three U.S. Presidential debates scheduled to take place this fall.

In their joint letter (whose full text appears below), U.S. Representatives Maloney, Barbara Lee (D-CA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) wrote “to urge to the Commission on Presidential Debates to select at least one woman as moderator for the Presidential debates this year,” and that “it defies reason to believe that there has been no woman with the gravitas to moderate a Presidential debate in the last twenty years.” The letter was initiated by Congresswoman Maloney, a former Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women’s Issues.

“The roster of past moderators brings new meaning to the mantra, ‘Where are the Women?’” said Congresswoman Maloney. “It is high time we cast a spotlight on the glaring lack of female moderators of presidential debates, since we haven’t had one since Carole Simpson of ABC moderated debate that included Ross Perot exactly two decades ago!”

Background:
The call for a woman moderator of a Presidential debate gained renewed momentum last month when three students at Montclair High School in New Jersey, Emma Axelrod, Sammi Siegel and Elena Tsemberis, collected 170,000 signatures in a petition urging the Commission on Presidential Debates to name a woman moderator for one of this year’s presidential showdowns. The signatures were collected through the website, Change.org, which serves as an on-line petition forum. The teenagers’ call was quickly embraced by Congresswoman Maloney and other leaders in Washington.

The three 2012 Presidential debates are scheduled to occur on October 3rd in Denver, Colorado; October 16th at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York; and on October 22nd in Boca Raton, Florida. The first and third debates will feature a question-and-answer format led by a moderator, with the Long Island debate staged as a “town-hall” event in which pre-selected audience members will ask questions of the candidates, and will also be overseen by a moderator.

The last woman to moderate a Presidential debate was Carole Simpson of ABC News, who presided over a 1992 debate featuring Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Ross Perot. Four years ago, Gwen Ifill of PBS moderated a Vice-Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.

The full text of the letter appears below:

August 1, 2012

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
Michael D. McCurry
Co-Chairmen
Commission on Presidential Debates
1200 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Box 445
Washington DC 20036

Dear Chairmen Fahrenkopf and McCurry,

We are writing to urge the Commission on Presidential Debates to select at least one woman as a moderator for the Presidential debates this year. We were appalled to learn that the last woman to moderate a Presidential debate was Carole Simpson in 1992, two decades ago. While Gwen Ifill did a phenomenal job of moderating the Vice Presidential debates four years ago, and her selection was significant, the most important debates are between the candidates for the top of the ticket. It defies reason to believe that there has been no woman with the gravitas to moderate a Presidential debate in the last twenty years.

Appointing a woman is more than merely symbolic. People often approach the issues of the day through the lens of their own experience and, accordingly, the questions a woman would ask may be very different than those posed by their male colleagues. Women have a long history of being outstanding journalists – and today there are dozens who have the credentials to moderate the debates.  Gwen Ifill, Megyn Kelly, Rachel Maddow, Diane Sawyer, Christiane Amanpour, Katie Couric, Arianna Huffington, Maureen Dowd, Gail Collins, Maria Bartiromo, Erin Burnett, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Sue Herera, Soledad O’Brien, Renee Montaigne, Audie Cornish and Melissa Block are just a few among the dozens of women who would do an outstanding job of moderating.

We are aware that three New Jersey high school students, Emma Axelrod, Sammi Siegel and Elena Tsemberis, have created a petition signed by more than 170,000 Americans who have indicated their support for having a Presidential debate moderated by a woman. This outpouring of support demonstrates the strong interest in having women’s voices be a part of the debate.

The goal of the Presidential debates has always been to help Americans understand the individuals who are vying to lead this great nation. There have been some remarkably revealing moments that have helped fix candidates’ identities in the minds of the electorate. In a year in which the women’s vote is considered a critical factor in determining the outcome of the election, we truly believe that the Commission will have done Americans a disservice if it fails to choose at least one woman to moderate the Presidential debates.
 
Very truly yours,
 
CAROLYN B. MALONEY                                      
Member of Congress

BARBARA LEE
Member of Congress

SUZANNE BONAMICI
Member of Congress

JAN SCHAKOWSKY
Member of Congress