WASHINTON: Hillary Clinton and fellow Democratic candidates will square off Oct. 13 in their first debate of the 2016 presidential campaign, the party announced Thursday as it unveiled its primary debate schedule.

The debut event will occur in Nevada, the first of six televised debates for the party that is trying to hold the White House following two terms of President Barack Obama.

The second debate is scheduled for Nov. 14 in Iowa, followed by Dec. 19 in New Hampshire. The two states vote earliest in the primary process that determines a party’s presidential nominee.

A fourth debate is set for Jan. 17, 2016 in South Carolina, while the fifth and sixth debates are in Florida and Wisconsin, in either February or March.

“These six debates will not only give caucus goers and primary voters ample opportunity to hear from our candidates about their vision for our country’s future,” Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement.

“They will highlight the clear contrast between the values of the Democratic Party, which is focused on strengthening the middle class, versus Republicans who want to pursue out-of-touch and out-of-date policies.”

Clinton, the clear frontrunner, is being challenged by independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Virginia senator Jim Webb, former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

Donald Trump dominated Thursday’s first debate for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Although still a longshot candidate, the real-estate mogul and reality television star stood at center stage during the prime-time debate in Cleveland, Ohio, thanking his status as the top performer in several recent national polls following a string of outlandish statements.

Only 10 candidates were invited to participate in the main event, with the remaining seven relegated to a pre-debate forum.

Thanks to his unpredictable style and unformed policy positions, Trump doesn’t fit neatly into any one segment of the Republican Party. That appears to be a draw to a section of the party’s base frustrated with Washington and career politicians.

But some Republicans fear his comments — whether about Mexican immigrants being “criminals” and “rapists” or his questioning of the war record of Sen. John McCain — will taint the public’s view of the party as a whole.

The narrowing of a vast field of Republican presidential hopefuls begins in earnest with the debate. At stake for Republicans: not only picking the candidate to represent them in the general election, but also selecting the direction the party will take as it seeks to regain the White House.