Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will go head-to-head in a televised debate at the Navy Yard in Fort Greene on April 14, in a battle for the hearts and minds of the most important voters in the country — Brooklynites.
The two camps finally settled on a date and venue for the war of words on Monday night after days of squabbling — each publicly accusing the other of avoiding the verbal skirmish — but their campaigns didn’t let that stop them getting one last jab in.
“It’s great for the people of New York that there will be a debate in Brooklyn, something that the Clinton campaign has long opposed,” said Sanders’ spokesman Michael Briggs, noting the campaign moved a planned rally forward a night to accommodate Clinton’s preferred date.
A staffer for the former secretary of state fired right back, accusing the Vermont senator of dragging his feet.
“We had thought the Sanders campaign would have accepted our offer for a Brooklyn debate on April 14 in a New York minute, but it ended up taking a few extra days for them to agree,” said Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon. “We are glad they did.”
CNN and NY1 will co-host with anchor Wolf Blitzer moderating — a blatant snub of the Brooklyn Paper’s own offer to sponsor an authentic Kings County showdown between the two combatants under the relentless scrutiny of former editor Gersh Kuntzman, who proposed the event live on Monday’s edition of Brooklyn Paper Radio.
The debate itself — five days ahead of the New York primary — will take place inside Navy Yard event venue the Duggal Greenhouse, a cavernous warehouse on the waterfront.
Tickets are not available yet, but a rep from the venue said there would likely only be around 1,000 seats up for grabs, and to keep an eye on CNN and the candidates’ websites.
