With the election still 17 months ago, voters have plenty of time to learn more about the candidates.
The first 2020 Democratic presidential debate takes place tonight. The field is so large that the Democratic National Committee and host NBC News split the candidates into two 10-person groups.
The match-ups will be held in Miami on Wednesday and Thursday, June 26 and 27, with each night featuring 10 qualifying candidates.
Where Will the Debate Air?
The two-night debate will air live on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo, from 9 p.m. ET. to 11 p.m. ET.
CNN, Fox News and C-SPAN also plan extensive coverage.
What About Online?
The debates will stream online free on NBC News digital platforms, including NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, the NBC News Mobile App and on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, in addition to Telemundo’s digital platforms. For social media users, NBC will show the debates live on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
National Public Radio also says it will offer live radio coverage, along with fact-checking and analysis at NPR.org.
Who’s Moderating?
NBC chose five moderators — Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and Noticias Telemundo host José Diaz-Balart.
It’s time for the first #DemDebate of the 2020 presidential race.
Watch live from Miami tonight on @MSNBC. pic.twitter.com/az4J4U8mn6
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 26, 2019
Why Isn’t Every Candidate Participating?
To qualify, the DNC set two ways for candidates to make the cut — through fundraising and polling. The candidates were required to raise campaign money from at least 65,000 donors. The polling component required them to poll at 1 percent or above in three different surveys recognized by the DNC.
Who’s Debating?
The Wednesday debate will feature:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York
Former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland
Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio
The Thursday debate will feature:
Former Vice President Joe Biden
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana
Sen. Kamala Harris of California
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado
Author Marianne Williamson
Rep. Eric Swalwell of California
Businessman Andrew Yang
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
Source: nbcnews.com, npr.org, dnc.org
