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SALT LAKE CITY — The Republican and Democratic presidential primaries have been virtually wrapped up for weeks, but three candidates still vying for the nomination of the Libertarian Party will be in Salt Lake City for a debate next week ahead of the party's national convention in Washington over Memorial Day weekend.
The candidates — former police officer Mike ter Maat, tech entrepreneur Lars Mapstead, and ear, nose and throat doctor Charles Ballay — will square off on the debate stage at the DoubleTree Hotel at the Salt Lake City International Airport at 6:30 p.m. on April 19, the Utah Libertarian Party announced Monday.
"We're excited to offer this debate to Utah," party chairman Barry Short said. "The Libertarian Party is unique in that our delegates to our national convention are not bound in advance, and instead can vote at the convention for whichever candidate they prefer. We believe other parties ought to adopt that approach, and get back to letting the people of America make a real choice."
The Libertarian Party is one of the largest political parties in the U.S. after the two major parties, with ballot access in 39 states, according to Ballotpedia.
Salt Lake City is also slated to play host to the third and final general presidential debate on Oct. 9, although whether both major party candidates will show up remains an open question.
Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have frequently accused the Commission on Presidential Debates of being biased, and the Republican National Committee cut ties with the organization in 2022. Trump also declined to participate in any of the Republican primary debates sponsored by the committee during this election cycle.
But the former president has promised on social media to debate Democratic President Joe Biden "ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE," according to CNN. Asked if he expects to debate Trump in 2024, Biden told CNN, "I don't know if he's serious."
Still, the 2024 election promises to be a narrow race, and some experts believe the opportunity to debate on a national stage will be too promising to pass up.
