Ronald J. Hansen | The Republic | azcentral.com

Diana Payan, The Republic | azcentral.com

The Democratic National Committee has set up a page for the public to apply for tickets to the March 15 presidential debate in Phoenix, though the location and time of the event have not been announced.

Anyone hoping to attend can register through the DNC's website or by clicking here.

The party's website warns that few applicants are likely to receive tickets:

"Sign up below to register your interest in attending the Democratic presidential primary debate in Phoenix, AZ. Due to extreme interest and limited capacity, the vast majority of requests are not able to be accommodated."

The debate will be held two days before the end of voting during the state's presidential primary, technically known as the presidential preference election, so it will likely have little impact on the final outcome in Arizona.

Still, by holding such an event in Arizona, the party is showing how competitive the state has become as a presidential battleground. Democrats have only carried Arizona in presidential elections once since 1948.

The debate next month is sponsored by CNN and Univision and is in partnership with CHC Bold, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Besides the time and location of the debate, other details, such as the format, moderators or the criteria for participation remain to be determined.

The number of candidates also will be in flux, depending on how the Democratic field looks after the March 3 "Super Tuesday" primaries that feature 14 states, including California and Texas.

Push for debate began in early 2019

For more than a year, Arizona Democrats have been vying behind the scenes to bring a presidential debate to metro Phoenix. They have pitched the state as a showcase for the party’s diversity and its return to competitiveness nationally.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. was a driving force behind keeping Phoenix in the top tier of cities under consideration by party leaders. The effort began in earnest in January 2019 after Sen. Kyrsten Sinema became the first Democrat in 30 years to win a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona.

In 2018, Sinema defeated Republican Martha McSally, who later was appointed to the state’s other Senate seat and faces election this year.

While Gallego and others sought the debate for months, the effort was complicated by other considerations, such as the traditional primary schedule, which features states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, as well as a Wednesday debate in Las Vegas ahead of Nevada’s caucus three days later.

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Also, Arizona’s primary ends the same night as primaries in Florida, Illinois and Ohio, states with more population and significant electoral clout of their own.

Democrats held a debate in Los Angeles in December that some feared may have cost the West its best chance to host another debate, but advocates here continued to press their case.

President Donald Trump won Arizona in 2016 by 3.5 percentage points over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

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Previous national debates in 2012, 2004

Arizona last hosted a presidential debate in February 2012, when four Republican candidates gathered in Mesa. That debate included Mitt Romney, who went on to win the GOP nomination, as well as Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

Before that, Arizona State University in Tempe hosted an October 2004 general election debate between President George W. Bush and Democratic nominee John Kerry.

Reach the reporter Ronald J. Hansen at ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4493. Follow him on Twitter @ronaldjhansen.

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