Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and the other Democrat candidates for president will take the stage at Wynn Las Vegas hotel and casino Oct. 13 (Tuesday) in the first of several scheduled debates. The debate will be televised by CNN.

The following University of North Texas faculty members are available to discuss the debate.

Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, professor and chair of UNT's Department of Political Science, is the co-author of Breaking Through the Noise: Presidential Leadership, Public Opinion and the News Media and The President's Speeches: Beyond "Going Public." He has been interviewed by the Associated Press, Dallas Morning News, Governing magazine, San Francisco Chronicle and Scripps Howard News Service, among other media outlets, and appeared often on NPR to discuss presidential races.

Phone: 940-565-2329
E-mail: mes@unt.edu

Brian Lain, associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies and UNT's director of debate, will analyze tactics used by the candidates during the debate.
Phone: 940-453-2359
Email: blain@unt.edu
James E. Mueller, professor of journalism in UNT's Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism, wrote about Hillary Clinton's interactions and communication with reporters during her first presidential campaign in his book, Tag Teaming the Press: How Bill and Hillary Clinton Work Together to Handle the Media. He has been following Clinton's campaign this year for a possible update to the book.
He notes that Clinton has been struggling her campaign, "particularly because of her reluctance to deal with the press."
"She's been keeping reporters at arm's length, and her rare appearances have often seemed stilted in an age when voters crave authenticity. She's desperately got to show some energy and warmth in this debate," Mueller says.
On the other hand, Bernie Sanders, who is closely following Clinton in poll results, has been receiving much attention "because of his rise from an underdog to a challenger," he says.
"Many voters are probably still skeptical of him because of his identification as a socialist. He's got to show during this debate that he's not just a gadfly, but a serious candidate that voters can imagine in the Oval Office," Mueller says. "The other candidates -- Martin O'Malley, Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee -- have to show up, loudly. They are languishing in the polls, and it looks like a lot of voters don't know who they are. This is their chance to make some noise in the race."
Phone: 940-368-3528
E-mail: jmueller@unt.edu