CNN cancels next week’s Iowa town halls

CNN announced on Thursday it canceled its Democratic presidential town halls ahead of the Iowa caucuses next month, citing the Senate impeachment schedule. 

A spokesperson for the network said CNN was working to reschedule the town halls, which were originally slated to be held on Jan. 28 and 29 at Drake University and were set to feature back-to-back appearances by seven of the top Democratic contenders.

The cancellation comes as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) returned to Capitol Hill this week to take part in the trial of President Trump. 

The trial has upended other plans on the campaign trail ahead of the Iowa caucus on Feb. 3. Sanders’s campaign announced on Tuesday that it was canceling a rally scheduled for Wednesday due to the trial. 

“Sen. Sanders will not be able to attend tomorrow’s rally due to the impeachment schedule in the U.S. Senate,” the campaign’s statement said. “However, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will host campaign events in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Ames on Friday and Saturday.”

The senators running for president are taking full advantage of their surrogates, as well as using the weekend to travel to Iowa. 

Warren’s campaign said on Thursday that Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness would join Warren for a town hall in Cedar Rapids on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez and progressive filmmaker Michael Moore are slated to join Sanders in Iowa on Sunday. 

Klobuchar will return to Iowa on Saturday for events through Sunday.