These News Anchors Will Moderate The Second Debate

Now that voters have seen two debates, it's time to mix it up a bit. In the third debate — the second for the presidential nominees — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will duke it out in a town meeting-style event. This means that voters will have a chance to ask the candidates some questions themselves. In fact, half of the questions posed will come from citizens participating in the event. The style of this upcoming face-off won't be the only thing that sets it apart from the first presidential debate. Most noticeably, the second debate will also feature new moderators.

CNN's Anderson Cooper and ABC News' Martha Raddatz will co-moderate the town hall event on Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. ET at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Both moderators have refereed debates in the past, rendering them well-equipped to handle the tug-of-war that these types of things so commonly transform into. And that naturally heightens our expectations of them. After watching Tim Kaine and Mike Pence repeatedly talk over and interrupt each other (Kaine more than Pence) during the vice presidential debate, voters are likely craving an equally intense debate from Clinton and Trump. Reigning in unwieldy candidates is a difficult thing to do on live TV, but Cooper and Raddatz are up for the task.

Cooper has moderated various primary debates, including a Democratic debate last year in which he seemed to have performed well. Hopefully, he will be able to harness the same pressure that he placed upon the nominees during the primary season to keep things on track between Trump and Clinton.

Previously, Raddatz moderated the vice presidential debate in 2012 between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan. Leading up to the event, she received criticism from the right side of the aisle because Barack Obama had attended her second wedding. We'll have to see whether Trump will attach himself to that line of attack. Let's face it — it wouldn't be surprising if he made some comments about it as an excuse for a potentially weak debate performance. Like Cooper, Raddatz's job will likely be to hold Trump accountable for his various lies and exaggerations.

While the Commission on Presidential Debates takes care to pick non-partisan hosts, Trump has disagreed with the choice of Cooper. Trump told the Washington Post, "I don't think he should be a moderator. I'll participate, but I don't think he should be a moderator. CNN is the Clinton News Network, and Cooper, I don't think he can be fair." So, expect some complaints about Cooper from Trump post-debate, too, if it doesn't go well for him.

Otherwise, it will be an interesting debate to watch with multiple moderators and questions from voters in the mix. Hopefully, Cooper and Raddatz will be able to direct a solid debate and get through the topics smoothly while pressing the candidates on the tough issues.