Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez Thomas Edward PerezClinton’s top five vice presidential picks Government social programs: Triumph of hope over evidence Labor’s 'wasteful spending and mismanagement” at Workers’ Comp MORE defended the committee’s choice to randomly assign candidates to one of two nights of debates and dismissed the notion that there’s any hierarchy among the crowded field.

“As you know, we did random assignment for today and tomorrow. There’s no JV-varsity. We’ve got a deep bench,” Perez told MSNBC in an interview ahead of Wednesday’s debate in Miami.

A total of 20 candidates, half on Wednesday and half on Thursday, will participate in the first round of debates. ADVERTISEMENT

The DNC chose at random, picking names out of a hat, to assign candidates to a stage.

The top-tier candidates are split between the evenings. Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Democratic senators ask inspector general to investigate IRS use of location tracking service MORE (D-Mass.) is set to take the stage Wednesday along with some candidates who are polling under 1 percent, while fellow top-tier candidates former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Hillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Fox News poll: Biden ahead of Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio MORE (D) and Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersThe Hill's Campaign Report: Trump faces backlash after not committing to peaceful transition of power Bernie Sanders: 'This is an election between Donald Trump and democracy' The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump stokes fears over November election outcome MORE (I-Vt.) will participate Thursday.

But the debates may offer a platform to launch some of the candidates who are struggling to break through.

Perez said he thinks voters will find there are multiple candidates they “really like.”

“there’s no JV - varsity, we got a deep bench”



- @TomPerez on all the Democrats lining up to participate in the two night Democratic debate pic.twitter.com/8GhaIPS9Uk — TheBeat w/Ari Melber (@TheBeatWithAri) June 26, 2019

“And I encourage people to date multiple candidates, speed date if you will, and then fall in love,” he said. “And then what we have to do is fall in line behind whoever wins.”