Would the media cover many Sanders-Schweitzer debates?

[Mr. Morden]

Hypothetical: Clinton runs for the Democratic nomination, with her only challengers being Bernie Sanders (who runs as a Democrat just to get into the debates) and Brian Schweitzer.

The GOP candidates start their series of 20 something debates, beginning from about June 2015.  The news networks try to arrange Democratic debates as well, but Clinton refuses to participate, as she's 50 points ahead in the primary polls, and has nothing to gain.  She gives some line about how there'll be plenty of time to debate later, but it's way too early in the cycle.  She refuses to participate in any debates until December 2015 at the earliest (this is pretty much what Bush did in 1999/2000).

Sanders and Schweitzer of course are happy to participate in debates with each other, even if Clinton won't join in.  Would the cable news networks actually broadcast such debates, despite the lack of participation from the overwhelming frontrunner?  If not, what kind of spin would they put on it, given that they'd already be giving the GOP candidates plenty of airtime in their own debates?

[Doesn't have to be Sanders and Schweitzer for the purpose of this hypothetical.  Could be any two or three Democratic candidates who are challenging Clinton, who trail her in the polls by enormous margins.]

[NewYorkExpress]

Depends which two candidates are running...

If it's say... Cuomo and Warren, I think the media would cover that more so than Schweitzer and Sanders

[Mr. Morden]

Depends which two candidates are running...

If it's say... Cuomo and Warren, I think the media would cover that more so than Schweitzer and Sanders

Well, Cuomo isn't going to run if Clinton does.

Most likely, no other establishment candidates will run if Clinton does.  The only people who'll run against her are folks on the fringes of the party, like Schweitzer.

[PPT Spiral]

I imagine it might be similar to 2000, with George W. Bush skipping all of the Republican debates until right before the first primaries. The media would cover a handful of debates that happen between the other Democratic competitors.

[Peter the Lefty]

A former Governor and a sitting Senator who are both running for the nomination of a major party for the Presidency?  Yes.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Probably not, since The Media hates the guts of both. But all one candidate needs to do is endorse a right-wing idea like school uniforms, and The Media will love them for years to come - and declare that they won the debate, and heaven forbid anyone dare to think otherwise.

[Mr. Morden]

A former Governor and a sitting Senator who are both running for the nomination of a major party for the Presidency?  Yes.

Yes, but if they're both at 15% in the polls, and Clinton is at 65% in the polls, then hardly anyone is going to care about watching a debate between these two that Clinton isn't participating in.  The networks won't *want* to cover them, because relatively few viewers will care about such debates.  The question is how easily the networks can get away with cancelling them or not broadcasting them, if they're simultaneously hosting debates on the GOP side.

Though maybe that last point will be a non-issue if the GOP goes through with threats to shut CNN and MSNBC out of debate hosting.  Then it wouldn't be the same networks covering both parties' debates anyway.

[BaconBacon96]

MSNBC will most likely arrange a debate between the two progressives. But I'm not sure about the willingness of the other networks to give them much air time.