The third Democratic presidential primary, held on Sept 12 and 13, could feature as many as 20 candidates. | Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo 2020 elections Third Democratic primary debate will be in Houston

The third Democratic presidential primary debate will be held in Houston on Sept. 12 and 13, the Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday.

The debate, which will be hosted by ABC News and Univision, could feature as many as 20 candidates. The second night of debates may not occur, depending on how many candidates qualify.


“Houston is the perfect place to showcase our candidates so that they can share their vision for a better future for the American people,” DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement announcing the location.

More details about the debate, such as the timing and moderators, will be announced later.

The second round of Democratic debates in Detroit is set for the end of the month and will feature 20 candidates, according to an analysis from POLITICO .

But the third round of debates in Houston will probably feature fewer than 20 because the DNC raised the requirements for candidates to qualify. They need to receive at least 2 percent in four approved polls and have 130,000 unique donors.

POLITICO projects that five candidates have already qualified for the September debate: Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Several other candidates are on the bubble for qualifying for the third debate, but POLITICO projects that fewer than the maximum 20 will qualify.