The Democratic National Committee has announced a schedule of six presidential primary debates, beginning on October 13. 2015 in Nevada.

The party made the announcement on the same day that the Republican candidates are set to debate for the first time in Cleveland, Ohio.

Just four of the Democratic debates will be held before the key early nominating contests begin early next year.

After the October debate in Nevada, which will be hosted by CNN, the next Democratic debates are: November 14 in Des Moines, IA (hosted by CBS, KCCI and the Des Moines Register); December 19 in Manchester, NH (hosted by ABC and WMUR); and January 17 in Charleston, SC (hosted by NBC News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute).

Debates are also scheduled to be held in February or March in both Miami and Wisconsin, with dates to be announced.

Two of Clinton’s rivals have said they are upset about the way the party has scheduled the debates.

“By inserting themselves into the debate process, the DNC has ironically made it less democratic. The schedule they have proposed does not give voters—nationally, and especially in early states—ample opportunity to hear from the Democratic candidates for President,” former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said in a statement.

Read more at: nbcnews.com.

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Next week’s prime-time Republican presidential debate will feature 11 candidates, including surging businesswoman Carly Fiorina, CNN announced Thursday.

Fiorina, front-runner Donald Trump, and other Republican candidates will gather Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif., for the second debate of 2016 election cycle, this one sponsored by CNN.

In addition to Trump and Fiorina, the 8 p.m. ET session will include Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul.

An earlier debate, at 6 p.m. ET, will feature Republicans who have finished outside the top 10 in an aggregate of polls: Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal and George Pataki.

“Thursday marked the close of the two-month window for determining eligibility based on averages of national polls,” CNN said in a report.

Trump led the Republican field in the aggregate of polls used by CNN, scoring nearly 24% support. Bush finished second at 11.5%, followed by Walker (9.4%), Carson (8.9%), Cruz (6.3%), Rubio (5.6%), Huckabee (5.6%), Paul (4.7%), Kasich (3.2%), Christie (3.1%), and Fiorina (2.2%).

The candidates in the early debate: Perry (1.8%), Santorum (1.2%), Jindal (1.1%), Pataki (0.5%), and Graham (0.5%).

The prime-time debate could be a contest between insurgent “outsider” candidates and so-called “establishment” Republicans.

Trump, Fiorina and Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who has finished second in more recent GOP polls, are stressing the fact they have never held public office, arguing that the GOP establishment has failed party supporters on items like federal spending and immigration.

More traditional Republicans — including Bush, Walker, and Rubio — have seen their poll numbers drop in recent weeks. They have questioned whether Trump and other newcomers are qualified for the presidency, and can win a general election.

Read more at: usatoday.com

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