(Newser)
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A 20-year-old boys' club is about to once again open up to women. CNN's Candy Crowley will moderate one of this election's three presidential debates, announced the debate commission today. The last time a woman took the lead was when Carole Simpson did so in 1992; Barbara Walters also took two turns, in 1976 and 1984. Crowley will helm the single town hall-style debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, on Oct. 16 at New York's Hofstra University.
CNN reports on Crowley's chops: She joined the network in 1987, serves as chief political correspondent, and anchors Sunday morning's State of the Union With Candy Crowley. The AP adds that Jim Lehrer of PBS and Bob Schieffer of CBS News will moderate the other two debates, which begin Oct. 3. Martha Raddatz of ABC News will moderate one of the VP debates, on Oct. 11. Crowley's selection came after three teenage girls from Montclair, NJ, organized an online petition drive to persuade the commission to pick a woman. More than 122,000 signatures were on the petition as of today.
