SALT LAKE CITY — Utah will be the host site of the third and final 2024 presidential debate.
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Monday that the University of Utah will host a debate on Oct. 9, 2024 between the leading candidates for the office of President of the United States. It will be the last of three scheduled debates in next year's cycle.
"We have proven as a state that we are a place not just where debates can be held but all kinds of major events can be held, done the right way," Governor Spencer Cox said at a news conference Monday. "We have the right people, the right volunteers, we’re very professional in the way we do things."
Kingsbury Hall on the Utah campus will be the location for the debate. In 2020, Kingsbury Hall hosted the vice-presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris.
"Perhaps with fly abatement," University of Utah President Taylor Randall joked of the infamous moment where a fly landed on Pence's head and stayed there for a portion of the debate, generating a social media viral moment.
The Republican National Committee in the past has threatened boycotts of these debates. Asked if they would show up in 2024, Gov. Cox said it was possible we could see three candidates on the stage that night. He called on the candidates to show up to engage in a debate.
But asked his preference of who should be on the stage, the governor replied: "Anybody but the two frontrunners." He has made no secret that he is not a fan of either President Biden or former President Trump, the two frontrunners in the 2024 presidential race right now.
