First night of Democratic debate: How to watch, who's onstage, and what to expect
WASHINGTON – Want to know what’s going on with the 2020 Democratic primary debate? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Ten Democrats will take the stage Wednesday evening for the first debate of the political season.
It will be the first night of a two-night event, which is being held at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida. The debates begin each night at 9 p.m. and end at 11 p.m. ET. The second night, which will feature 10 more Democratic presidential hopefuls, will take place on Thursday.
Here is what you need to know about the set-up of Wednesday night’s debate:
How to watch
TV broadcast:Â NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo
Free online stream: NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, Telemundo, NBC News’ Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and NBC News apps
2020 Debates: What the candidates will talk about on the national stage
Who’s onstage
From left to right:
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio
Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio
Former Obama HUD Secretary Julian Castro of Texas
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii
Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state
Former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland
More: Are you getting ready for the Democratic debates? Here is what you should know.
What to expect
Democrats are going to jump right into the questions.
The candidates will not deliver opening remarks. They will only have 60 seconds to answer the questions and 30 seconds to respond to follow-ups, according to NBC. There will be five segments each night, and separated by only four commercial breaks.
“Today†co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt, “Meet the Press†moderator Chuck Todd, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and “Noticias Telemundo†host José Diaz-Balart will be the moderators for the evening.
Candidates will, however, get to leave voters with one last message as the debate closes because closing statements will be delivered by the Democratic hopefuls.Â
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![In this April 26, 2016, file photo, former Congressman Joe Sestak, center, his wife Susan Sestak, left, and daughter Alex Sestak react after speaking to supporters gathered outside his campaign headquarters in Media, Pa. Sestak has become the latest Democrat to enter the presidential race.]()
1 of 26![(FILES) In this file photo taken on May 12, 2019 ,New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks inside Trump Tower about the Green New Deal, serving notice to US President Donald Trump demanding more energy-efficient buildings, including Trump Tower, in New York. - New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on May 16, 2019, he will seek the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, despite a panning by US media and polls which suggest he faces a tough fight. De Blasio becomes the 23rd prospective Democratic challenger to President Donald Trump.Donald Trump must be stopped. I am Bill de Blasio and I am running for president because it's time we put the working people first, he said in a video announcing his candidacy. (Photo by Don Emmert / AFP)DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: New York ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1GF9WC]()
2 of 26![FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2018, file photo, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock speaks at the Des Moines Register Soapbox during a visit to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa. Motivated by an urgency to unseat President Donald Trump and the prospect of a historically large primary field, Democrats see little incentive to delay or downplay their 2020 presidential hopes. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)]()
3 of 26![FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2018, file photo, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colo., speaks before Senator Bernie Sanders during a rally with young voters on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo. Bennet says he is seeking the Democratic nomination for president in 2020. The three-term senator made the announcement Thursday on CBS This Morning. He is now among more than 20 Democrats seeking the partys presidential nomination. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File) ORG XMIT: BKWS303]()
4 of 26![4/5/19 9:37:01 AM -- Washington, DC, U.S.A -- Former Vice President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction and Maintenance Conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington D.C. -- Photo by Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Staff ORG XMIT: JG 137932 Joe Biden 4/5/2019 [Via MerlinFTP Drop]]()
5 of 26![Rep. Seth Moulton, D-MA.., meets with patrons after participating in the Pints and Politics event held at The Barley House in Concord, N.H. Saturday, March 16, 2019. Rep. Moulton announced he is joining the presidential race on April 22, 2019.]()
6 of 26![Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., holds his baby during the 116th Congress and swearing-in ceremony on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington on Jan. 3, 2019. Swalwell announced his bid on April 8, 2019, to run for president.]()
7 of 26![Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, announced that he is running for president on Thursday, April 4, 2019.]()
8 of 26![Wayne Messam, the mayor of Miramar, Fla. and a former Florida State football player, announced his plans to run for president in a video released on March 28, 2019.]()
9 of 26![Former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke announced he is running for president on March 14, 2019.]()
10 of 26![Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced he is running for president on March 4, 2019.]()
11 of 26![Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced he is running for president on March 1, 2019.]()
12 of 26![Senator Bernie Sanders, I-VT, announced he was running for president on Feb. 19, 2019.]()
13 of 26![Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld announced he's creating a presidential exploratory committee for a run in the 2020 election on Feb. 15, 2019 as a Republican.]()
14 of 26![Democratic Senator of Minnesota Amy Klobuchar announces that she is running for President of the United States on Feb. 10, 2019.]()
15 of 26![Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Ma, announced she was running for president on Feb. 9, 2019.]()
16 of 26![U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii announced she was running for president on Feb. 2, 2019.]()
17 of 26![Senator Cory Booker, D-NJ announced he was running for president on Feb. 1, 2019.]()
18 of 26![Presidential Hopeful Marianne Williamson gives a speech to the group of people gathered by the Asian Latino Coalition on Monday, April 8, 2019, in Des Moines.]()
19 of 26![Supporters take photos with U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. launched her presidential campaign on Jan. 27, 2019.]()
20 of 26![South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced he was running for president on Jan. 23, 2019.]()
21 of 26![Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY announced she was running for president on Jan. 15, 2019.]()
22 of 26![Julian Castro, former U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary and San Antonio Mayor announced he was running for president on Jan. 12, 2019.]()
23 of 26![Entrepreneur Andrew Yang is a Democrat running for President. He entered the race on Nov. 6, 2018.]()
24 of 26![Former Maryland Democratic Congressman John Delaney announced he was running for president on July 28, 2017.]()
25 of 26![President Donald Trump filed for re-election the day he was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2017.]()
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