Belmont University Will Host A 2020 Presidential Debate In Nashville

“Once again, the road to the White House runs through Belmont University.” 

That’s the wording on a banner unveiled Friday morning as the school announced it will host the third and final debate of the 2020 presidential election.

That will take place Oct. 22, 2020, just 11 days before the general election.

“This university has earned a reputation that we will fight hard to hold onto,” said Bob Fisher, university president, “It’s a reputation of trust that’s given to us by the citizens and the candidates alike. They can come here — people from any party — and have a discussion, and both sides will be treated equally and both sides will be listened to.”

Fisher also referenced the townhall-style presidential debate that Belmont hosted in 2008, saying it “transformed how we thought about ourselves.”

“It was kind of the best feeling I’ve ever had at Belmont, was the way our faculty, our staff, and our students pulled together to make that such a success,” he said. “It was almost like a team-building session, except it was way beyond any trust falls you can ever imagine.“

The 2008 event featured then-candidate Barack Obama and former U.S. Senator John McCain. It was the second debate of that cycle and focused heavily on the economy as the country was deep into the Great Recession.

That broadcast drew an audience of more than 63 million, but fell short of the nearly 70 million who watched the Vice Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin the week before.  

The next event will again draw massive attention to the campus and city. More than 60 million TV viewers are anticipated, with some 2,000 journalists on hand at the Curb Event Center, where Belmont’s basketball and volleyball teams play.

According to the Commission on Presidential Debates, Belmont was selected out of a pool of six finalists, including the city of Hartford, University of Michigan and University of Notre Dame.

Belmont was the only Southern site to apply.

The 6,500-student campus is on a bit of a hot streak, having recently hosted an international tennis cup, nationally broadcast music events, and high-profile guest speakers.

The university’s bid was backed by numerous officials, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Congressman Jim Cooper — two politicians who tend to hold disparate views, but who agreed Friday.

“Belmont makes good things happen. Belmont makes history happen,” Cooper said.

“Belmont should be the ‘little university who could,’ ” Blackburn said.

Cooper and Blackburn sat shoulder-to-shoulder for the announcement.

The congressman also urged Belmont students to value the moment. 

“This is probably the most important presidential election ever. So much is at stake. And young people have a role in this,” he said.

Massive Effort To Host

A massive effort is expected over the next year, but Fisher says Belmont wouldn’t have applied again if unprepared. 

So what goes into it? Safety precautions — for the candidates and the attendees, which Fisher says will need more attention than a decade ago.

He also showed off a rendering of how the debate will look on campus. Flags, banners, a gaggle of TV trucks, a huge media tent and a row of live broadcast studios. Much of this arranged right on top of the central lawns, which Fisher usually doesn’t offer.

“This will harm the grass, but we’ll re-sod it immediately. You gotta know I’m into this if we’re gonna put it on the lawn,” he said.

Inside those tents, there are big tech needs for hundreds of media outlets. And once the debate begins, with more than 60 million viewers, the pressure will be on.

“This event cannot be interrupted,” Fisher said.

Meanwhile, Belmont’s provost expects to build out an entire semester of programming. Last time, the university held more than 100 debate-related events.

For more information, visit www.belmontdebate2020.com.

This story was last updated at 5:23 p.m.