Twenty Democratic candidates will take the stage Wednesday and Thursday in Miami for the first presidential primary debates of the 2020 election. | M. Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO 2020 Democratic Debates The first Democratic debate: Everything you need to know

What time is the first Democratic debate?

The first Democratic presidential primary debates, which have been split into two groups of candidates over two nights, will take place from 9-11 p.m. EDT on Wednesday and Thursday.

Where is the debate being held?

The location of the first debates is Miami, Fla., in the Knight Concert Hall of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County .


The Democrats vying to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 general election will be sparring in the president’s second home state . Trump captured Florida’s 29 electoral votes in the 2016 election, has branded his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach as the “ Winter White House ,” and last week formally launched his re-election bid with a rally in Orlando.

What channel is the Democratic debate on, and can I stream it live online?

The debates are being broadcast by NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo, and they will be streaming online on NBC News' and Telemundo’s digital platforms.

Who will moderate the debate and how will it be formatted?

The debates’ moderators are Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt and Chuck Todd of NBC News, as well as Rachel Maddow of MSNBC and José Diaz-Balart of Telemundo. The 20 candidates appearing on stage will likely respond to questions on a variety of topics, including the economy, education, the environment, gun control, health care, immigration, the military and trade. Check out POLITICO’s 2020 Issues Tracker to learn where the White House contenders stand.

How do candidates prepare for debates?

Candidates spend countless hours ahead of televised debates cloistered with aides and advisers, rehearsing lines of attack against their on-stage rivals, anticipating moderators’ questions, gaming out their body language, and perfecting opening and closing statements. Though the time-consuming prep work cuts into candidates’ time on the trail, a stellar debate performance early in the primary race can rocket a straggling candidate to frontrunner status — while an unforced error may prove fatal to an on-the-ropes campaign.

Why is there another debate tomorrow?

Simply put, there are too many candidates. With 20 Democrats having met the DNC’s criteria to participate in the first double-feature of debates, the party wanted its contenders spread among two nights, with candidates polling at or above 2 percent divvied up squarely across both evenings.

Which candidates are participating in the Wednesday session?

The lineup for Wednesday night includes the following participants: New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Which candidates are participating in the Thursday session?

The lineup for Thursday night includes the following participants: Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, former Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, California Rep. Eric Swalwell, author Marianne Williamson and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

How many people typically watch primary debates?

The first Republican presidential primary debate of the 2016 election campaign, hosted by Fox News in August 2015 and featuring 10 GOP candidates, garnered a mammoth 24 million viewers. The first Democratic primary debate of that cycle, hosted by CNN and Facebook in October 2015 with a roster of five candidates, earned a viewership of 15.3 million.

When is the next Democratic primary debate?

The second series of debates, hosted by CNN, will take place July 30-31 in Detroit.