Democrats vying for the chance to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential elections will have to first battle each other at the upcoming debates in Florida.

The pool of Democratic hopefuls were narrowed down for the first two debate nights based on polling and donation requirements. Still, frontrunners like Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders will be joined by a large number of relatively lesser-known candidates like Michael Bennet, Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson, all hoping to capture the spotlight and make their case to the American people as to why they should become the next president of the United States.

Mr Biden and Mr Sanders — both consistently polling at the top of the pack — will be front-and-centre at the second night of debates in Miami on Thursday, while Elizabeth Warren and Beto O’Rourke will take centre stage the night prior.

Their placement in the groups were determined by polling averages, according to reports, with experts saying those in the centre have often been provided with the most amount of time to speak.

Here’s everything to look out for at the first round of 2020 Democratic debates.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Night One: Meet the candidates

The following candidates will take part in first night of debates on Wednesday, 26 June:

Cory Booker - New Jersey senator

John Delaney - former Maryland congressman

Elizabeth Warren - Massachusetts senator

Beto O’Rourke - former Texas congressman

Bill de Blasio - New York City mayor

Tim Ryan - Ohio congressman

Julian Castro - former Housing secretary

Amy Klobuchar - Minnesota senator

Tulsi Gabbard - Hawaii congresswoman

Jay Inslee - Washington governor

All eyes on Warren

Not only will the Massachusetts senator be seen at the centre of the 10-person debate, but she’s the top-polling candidate of all, making the night hers to lose.

The progressive senator has become a favourite along the campaign trail thanks in part to her unending policy proposals, with “I’ve got a plan for that” becoming her unofficial slogan.

However, paired with a group of candidates like Mr O’Rourke — who has failed to rise in the polls after initially starting out as a fundraising juggernaut — and others desperate for break-out moments, Ms Warren could find herself tasked with staying above the fray while appearing like a top contender against Mr Biden or other top candidates appearing the following night.

How to watch

The debates kick off on Wednesday night at 9pm EST (2am on Thursday in the UK) and will be available on NBC News, the media partner for the first round of debates.

Night Two: Meet the candidates

The following candidates will join the second night of debates on Thursday, 27 June:

Joe Biden - former vice president

Bernie Sanders - Vermont senator

Pete Buttigieg - Indiana mayor

Kamala Harris - California senator

Kirsten Gillibrand - New York senator

Marianne Williamson - author

Eric Swalwell - California congressman

Andrew Yang - entrepreneur

John Hickenlooper - former Colorado governor

Michael Bennet - Colorado senator

A night of too many stars

Critics have called out the Democratic National Committee for announcing it would randomly select candidates to appear at each night in an effort to group higher-polling ones with lesser-known 2020 hopefuls — before pairing many of the highest-polling candidates together on the second night.

The committee said the grouping was sorted randomly, though Mr Biden, Mr Sanders, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg — four of the five leading candidates in national polls — will all take part in the second debate night.

That will likely make it much more difficult for any of the lesser known candidates to make a splash. Mr Yang, for example, has captured significant support online for his progressive policy proposals and universal income plan — but it remains unclear how that will translate when up against a former top prosecutor like Ms Harris, or a rising Democratic star like Mr Buttigieg.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

How to watch