Presidential Commission Announces No Candidates Met Threshold To Compete In Second Debate

WASHINGTON—Explaining that the event had been officially canceled and would not be rescheduled, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced this morning that no candidates had met the threshold to compete in Sunday night’s scheduled town hall forum. “The Board has chosen to suspend this weekend’s debate at Washington University in St. Louis after determining that none of the candidates on the ballot garnered enough public support to qualify,” read a statement released by the commission, adding that all third-party candidates and both major-party nominees had failed to surpass the required polling numbers in even a single officially recognized poll, let alone the required average across all of them. “While a difficult decision, it is important that we reserve the debate stage and time for only those candidates who have demonstrated significant national interest. As always, the criteria will be reapplied for the final debate on October 19, providing each candidate with the opportunity to take the stage should they ultimately reach the required threshold.” At press time, the Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton campaigns had both released statements arguing that, while a minority of the nation’s voters, their supporters deserved to have a voice on the national stage.