Democrats Debate

The race to become the next president of the United States is on. A record-setting 24 Democrats are campaigning for the 2020 election. Twenty of them will face off in debates to be held tonight and tomorrow in Miami, Florida. The debates will give candidates a chance to get their message out to voters and stand out from the rest of the pack. (See below for the full list of candidates.)

They won’t have much time. Each candidate will have only 60 seconds to respond to moderators’ questions. They’ll get another 30 seconds to respond to their opponents. The candidates will have to be brief. Key issues will include health care, climate change, and making college tuition-free.

Each candidate is looking for a moment to shine. A zinger aimed at an opponent. A clever one-liner. These are the quickest ways to communicate to millions of TV viewers. These short messages can spread on social media.

Some of the candidates are already well-known. On Wednesday, look for Elizabeth Warren to be the center of attention. She’s a senator from Massachusetts. Warren has been crisscrossing the country for months, telling people about her ideas. Former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders will be part of Thursday’s group. Right now, they are leading in the polls. Their popularity with voters will make them targets for the other debaters.

Only one of the 24 candidates will go on to become the Democratic nominee for president. He or she will face President Donald Trump, who is up for re-election. Will the president be watching the debates? Trump told Fox Business Network that he would.

Tonight’s debate will air on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.

Wednesday’s debate will include:

• Cory Booker, senator from New Jersey

• Julián Castro, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

• Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City

• John Delaney, former representative from Maryland

• Tulsi Gabbard, representative from Hawaii

• Jay Inslee, governor of Washington

• Amy Klobuchar, senator from Minnesota

• Beto O’Rourke, former representative from Texas

• Tim Ryan, representative from Ohio

• Elizabeth Warren, senator from Massachusetts

Thursday’s debate will include:

• Michael Bennet, senator from Colorado

• Joe Biden, former vice president of the United States

• Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana

• Kirsten Gillibrand, senator from New York

• Kamala Harris, senator from California

• John Hickenlooper, former governor of Colorado

• Bernie Sanders, senator from Vermont

• Eric Swalwell, representative from California

• Marianne Williamson, author

• Andrew Yang, entrepreneur

The other Democratic candidates are:

• Steve Bullock, governor of Montana

• Mike Gravel, former senator from Alaska

• Wayne Messam, mayor of Miramar, Florida

• Seth Moulton, representative from Massachusetts