The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) began in 1987 by the Democratic and Republican parties to establish the way that presidential election debates are run between candidates for President of the United States. The Commission is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation as defined by federal US tax laws, whose debates are sponsored by private contributions from foundations and corporations.
The CPD sponsors and produces debates for the United States presidential and vice presidential candidates and undertakes research and educational activities relating to the debates. The organization, which is a nonprofit corporation controlled by the Democratic and Republican parties, has run each of the presidential debates held since 1988. The Commission is headed by Frank Fahrenkopf, a former head of the Republican National Committee, and former White House press secretary Michael D. McCurry. As of 2011, the Board of directors consists of Howard Graham Buffett, John C. Danforth, John Griffen, Antonia Hernandez, Caroline Kennedy, Newton N. Minow, Richard D. Parsons, Dorothy Ridings, and Alan K. Simpson.
Read more about Commission On Presidential Debates: History, Criticism, Lawsuits
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