Eight Democratic presidential hopefuls to appear in CNN climate town hall

Eight Democratic presidential candidates will participate in a climate-focused town hall hosted by CNN next month, the network said on Monday.

So far, eight candidates are scheduled to attend the event: former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

{mosads}Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was also invited but will not be able to attend the town hall due to a scheduling conflict, her campaign told CNN. A spokesman for Harris’s campaign did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for details on the conflict.

The town hall, set for Sept. 4, will take place in New York before a live audience of Democratic voters, according to CNN. The candidates will not debate one another during the event, but will rather make back-to-back appearances. 

The moderators for the event include CNN’s Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon. Bill Weir, the network’s chief climate correspondent, will also question candidates throughout the town hall.

Others may participate. CNN said it would invite candidates with at least 2 percent in four qualify polls approved by the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The window to qualify for the forum began on June 28 and runs until Wednesday.

At least two other candidates appear close to qualifying before the Wednesday deadline: former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer, both of whom have three qualifying polls to their names.

One candidate who is all but certain to miss the CNN town hall is Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who had previously — and unsuccessfully — urged the DNC to hold a presidential debate focused on climate change. Inslee has not yet reached 2 percent in any committee-approved poll.