Miami will host the first official Democratic presidential primary debate ahead of the 2020 election, the Democratic National Committee announced on Thursday.
Half of the crowded field of roughly 15 major presidential candidates will appear during prime time on June 26, while the rest will feature on June 27 to give all the contenders ample time to introduce themselves to the public and respond to questions, DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement. NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo will broadcast the program for free online and viewers will have the option to watch the proceedings in Spanish.
“Miami is a vibrant and dynamic city that reflects the values and diversity of the Democratic Party. I couldn’t imagine a better setting for our first debate,” Perez said. “Throughout every step of this process, we’ve focused on empowering the grassroots and ensuring that we hold the most transparent, inclusive, and fair primary in our party’s history. I’m thrilled that we’ll get the chance to showcase our terrific candidates to voters in Florida and across the nation.”
The announcement comes after the DNC awarded Milwaukee, Wis., the 2020 Democratic National Convention, scheduled to take place from July 13 to July 16 next year. Miami and Houston were finalists to hold the nominating event.
Splitting the debate over two consecutive nights is just one of the changes 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have to deal with this cycle. To be able to appear on the debate stage, White House hopefuls have to meet polling and fundraising thresholds, including receiving contributions from 65,000 unique donors and a minimum of 200 unique donors per state.
