Democrats Debate
The race to become the next president of the United States is on. A record-setting 24 Democrats are campaigning for the 2020 election. Twenty of them will face off in debates to be held tonight and tomorrow in Miami, Florida. The debates will give candidates a chance to get their message out to voters and stand out from the rest of the pack. (See below for the full list of candidates.)
They won’t have much time. Each candidate will have only 60 seconds to respond to moderators’ questions. They’ll get another 30 seconds to respond to their opponents. The candidates will have to be brief. Key issues will include health care, climate change, and making college tuition-free.
Each candidate is looking for a moment to shine. A zinger aimed at an opponent. A clever one-liner. These are the quickest ways to communicate to millions of TV viewers. These short messages can spread on social media.
Some of the candidates are already well-known. On Wednesday, look for Elizabeth Warren to be the center of attention. She’s a senator from Massachusetts. Warren has been crisscrossing the country for months, telling people about her ideas. Former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders will be part of Thursday’s group. Right now, they are leading in the polls. Their popularity with voters will make them targets for the other debaters.
Only one of the 24 candidates will go on to become the Democratic nominee for president. He or she will face President Donald Trump, who is up for re-election. Will the president be watching the debates? Trump told Fox Business Network that he would.
Tonight’s debate will air on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
Wednesday’s debate will include:
Cory Booker, senator from New Jersey
Julián Castro, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City
John Delaney, former representative from Maryland
Tulsi Gabbard, representative from Hawaii
Jay Inslee, governor of Washington
Amy Klobuchar, senator from Minnesota
Beto O’Rourke, former representative from Texas
Tim Ryan, representative from Ohio
Elizabeth Warren, senator from Massachusetts
Thursday’s debate will include:
Michael Bennet, senator from Colorado
Joe Biden, former vice president of the United States
Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana
Kirsten Gillibrand, senator from New York
Kamala Harris, senator from California
John Hickenlooper, former governor of Colorado
Bernie Sanders, senator from Vermont
Eric Swalwell, representative from California
Marianne Williamson, author
Andrew Yang, entrepreneur
The other Democratic candidates are:
Steve Bullock, governor of Montana
Mike Gravel, former senator from Alaska
Wayne Messam, mayor of Miramar, Florida
Seth Moulton, representative from Massachusetts