Democrats are considering using two stages to hold all the Democrats running for the White House in 2020 when the candidates gather for debates.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said he is also thinking about whether place the candidates randomly on those stages, instead of giving preference to those who are polling ahead of others, according to the Associated Press. In contrast, Republicans gave polling leaders preferential placement near the center of each stage for their debates in 2016.
The AP said Democrats are thinking of capping the total number of candidates to 16 for the debates.
Perez plans to announce the specifics of the first two 2020 primary debates by the end of the week. Those debates are expected to be held in June and July.
Perez wants to consider grassroots fundraising metrics in what qualifies candidates to participate in the debates because he wants the debates to include candidates beyond those who are polling well.
There will be six debates in 2019, Perez said, and at least six more in 2020. So far, eleven Democrats have officially launched primary bids, and several more on the sidelines are expected to announce.
Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii have announced campaigns.
And others who are still considering a run include former Vice President Joe Biden, former presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Rep. Seth Moulton, Mass., and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.
[Opinion: Here’s why the Democrats’ 2020 announcements have been so bad]
