Univision News To Host GOP Candidate Forum

Univision News and The Washington Post will sponsor a Republican presidential candidates forum ahead of primaries in March 2016 as part of a broader collaboration that will include polling, joint reporting projects and coverage of Hispanic voters and the issues that matter most to this key demographic.

The Republican presidential candidates forum will take place after the four early states have completed their contests and during the run-up to what could be a series of decisive events in major states. The March calendar includes primaries in Texas, Florida, Ohio, Virginia and Michigan, among others. The state of the race will determine the date and location of The Post-Univision Republican presidential candidates’ forum and invitations to the leading candidates will be extended at that time.

“Hispanics are the fastest-growing electorate in America today and will be crucial in deciding the next U.S. president,” said Washington Post Managing Editor, Kevin Merida. “We are thrilled to partner with Univision. Our goal is to produce together the most authoritative, innovative coverage of Hispanic voters ever seen during a presidential campaign cycle. We will delve into their lives, how they relate to the candidates and how the candidates relate to them.”

“This important alliance with The Washington Post brings together two media giants with tremendous audience reach, leveraging Univision News’ undisputed leadership among the Spanish-speaking population and The Post’s unmatched political reporting and expertise,” said Isaac Lee, president of News and Digital, Univision Communications Inc., and CEO of Fusion. “The collaboration will allow us to enhance and expand our coverage of the 2016 presidential elections and provide both our audiences with the most comprehensive and reliable profile of the U.S. Hispanic electorate available to date.”

The partnership will explore Hispanics and North America’s diverse population as an electoral force, examining key players, illuminating issues that concern them and understanding how politics function within the fastest-growing multicultural segments of the U.S. population. Univision News and The Post will produce a new, co-branded series of polls, tapping the analytical experience of their in-house polling units and depth of their political teams. The two news organizations will also collaborate on reporting efforts that feature video interviews, interactive graphics and digital storytelling.

Some of The Post’s Spanish-speaking reporters and editors will also appear on Univision Network to discuss the campaign including political blogger Jose DelReal, campaign reporter Ed O’Keefe, PowerPost editor Rachel Van Dongen, and others. Univision’s Democratic and Republican analysts will appear as well on The Post’s platforms, including video.

The Post-Univision Republican presidential candidates’ forum would occur at a time when the field of candidates has been winnowed down by the early contests and as party rules begin to allow state-by-state distribution of delegates on a winner-take-all basis.