What may be lost in this week’s news about Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election is that the first debate for the 2020 Democratic candidates is weeks away.
It is scheduled for June.
Specifics on the first debate of the 2020 election cycle have been announced. Here is what we know about the debate so far:
When: June 26 and 27.
Where: Miami
What channel: The debate will be aired on NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo.
No moderator or sponsor has been named, but in a crowded Democratic field, qualifications for those who will be onstage have been set.
To be included onstage for the debate, candidates must:
Either have at least 1 percent support in three qualifying polls or provide evidence of at least 65,000 individual donations from a minimum of 200 unique donors in at least 20 states.
There may be back-to-back primetime debates on consecutive days, according to the DNC, to ensure each candidate gets access to a primetime audience.
So, just three months out, who would you see on the stage in the first Democratic debate? Here is a look at who is in, who is trying and the debate schedule to date.
Who has announced they will run for the Democratic nomination for president or have formed an exploratory committee to consider running:
- Sen. Cory Booker
- South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Former Sec. of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro
- Former Rep. John Delaney
- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
- Sen. Kamala Harris
- Former Gov. John Hickenlooper
- Gov. Jay Inslee
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar
- Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke
- Sen. Bernie Sanders
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren
- Author Marianne Williamson
- Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
Likely to announce a run:
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- Gov. Steve Bullock
- Rep. Eric Swalwell
Democratic debate schedule
How many debates will there be?
The Democratic National Committee has sanctioned up to 12 debates through the 2020 primary season.
When are the debates?
According to the DNC, there will be six debates in 2019 – with one each in the months of June to October, then one in either November or December. There will be six more debates in 2020 -- with two in January, two in February and one each in March and April.
Who will be there?
It is hard to say now since registered candidates have until March 31 to report first-quarter funds raised and money spent to the Federal Election Commission.
Candidates are focusing on getting the 65,000 donors in 20 different states, and while some candidates have had record fundraising days, it's not clear with most campaigns that they have raised the money in more than 20 states, or have reached the 65,000 donations or 200 unique donors.
Buttigieg (pronounced: Boot edge edge) says his campaign has reached the 65,000 donations mark after he appeared at a town hall hosted by CNN. Buttigieg has not officially declared as a candidate for president but has launched an exploratory committee.
Yang, a New York City entrepreneur, has passed the 65,000 donation mark. You can follow his progress on a counter on his homepage.
Delaney is promising to donate $2 to charity for every dollar he gets in an effort to get 65,000 donors.
Under the polling option, the field opens up a bit. In an average of polls between October and March from Real Clear Politics, eight who have declared they want to run and one who is expected to run – Biden – would be on the debate stage.
The other seven who have earned at least 1 percent support in three major polls are Sanders, O’Rourke, Harris, Warren, Booker, Klobuchar and Hickenlooper.
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