After days of haggling, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are agreeing to face off in a NY1-CNN presidential debate in Brooklyn before the April 19th presidential primary. NY1 Political Reporter Josh Robin has more details about the April 14th showdown.
NY1 political anchor Errol Louis will be among those questioning Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.
The venue for the two-hour forum will be the Brooklyn Navy Yard's Duggal Greenhouse.
The New York Daily News is also participating.
Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have campaigned in the city, but pinning down these two busy candidates had been trickier than hailing a rush hour cab in the rain.
Though both said they wanted to.
"I'll be there," Clinton said.
"I think we can work out a date that works for her schedule, that works for my schedule," Sanders said.
That schedule had Sanders holding a Washington Square Park rally April 14.
But Mayor Bill de Blasio said he'd arrange permits for another day — with Sanders settling on April 13.
"Having a presidential primary election that matters for the first time since 1992 certainty on the Democratic side, it's a very very important moment," the mayor said.
De Blasio backs Clinton, who appeared with Governor Cuomo on Monday, but didn't talk about debates in her speech.
Debates over debates are nothing new, but there is added urgency ahead of the April 19 primary. If Sanders loses, he would be even further back in the delegate race. But if Clinton loses, it would be a devastating loss in the state she represented for eight years.
In agreeing to the debate, both sides thawed, for a minute.
A Sanders statements says: "We hope the debate will be worth the inconvenience for thousands of New Yorkers who were planning to attend our rally on Thursday but will have to change their schedules to accommodate Secretary Clinton’s jam-packed, high-dollar, coast-to-coast schedule of fundraisers all over the country."
A Clinton statement adds: "We had thought the Sanders campaign would have accepted our offer for a Brooklyn debate on April 14 in a New York minute, but it ended up taking a few extra days for them to agree. We are glad they did. We are grateful to have both NY1 and the Daily News sponsoring this debate, ensuring a New York focus to the discussion."
And while the evening promises to be exciting and substantial, New Yorkers looking for Republican fare that evening don't have to stray far.
The three candidates are attending the State Republican dinner that evening. Their primary is also April 19.
WATCHING THE DEBATE
Tickets to the debate are not available to the general public, but are being distributed by the candidates' campaigns and by the Democratic party.
Viewers can watch the debate on TV on NY1 News; online at NY1.com/live and on the TWC News app.
The debate will also be carried on all TWC News channels throughout New York state. Viewers can follow along on Twitter or contribute their commentary using the hashtag #NYDebate.