The 2020 Democratic presidential candidates will again take to the national stage for a debate tomorrow, Tuesday, October 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET in Westerville, Ohio. More than 850 national, state and local organizations have called on the debate moderators—Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett from CNN and Marc Lacey from the New York Times—to ask a question on affordable housing and homelessness during the debate. Voters throughout the country have been asking the candidates on the campaign trail what they will do about the nation’s housing affordability crisis. The candidates are responding—most have released comprehensive plans and proposals to address the crisis, with the majority centering on the needs of the lowest-income renters and people experiencing homelessness.
The presidential debate moderators, however, have so far failed to raise this critical issue during the debates. Advocates are calling for them to do so – because tens of millions of households in the U.S. are suffering from crushing rent burdens, housing instability, and, in the worst cases, homelessness. We will be watching tomorrow; join us on social media at #DemDebates #OurHomesOurVotes2020. For more information on what candidates have already said on affordable housing, NLIHC’s Our Homes, Our Votes: 2020 nonpartisan candidate and voter engagement project provides up-to-date candidate profiles.