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2020 Democratic Party presidential debates

December 02, 2023

Debates took place among candidates in the campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination for the president of the United States in the 2020 presidential election.

There were a total of 29 major Democratic candidates. Of these, 23 candidates participated in at least one debate. Only Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders participated in all the debates; Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Elizabeth Warren participated in all but the final debate.

Overview edit

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Sites of the eleven Democratic presidential debates.

Schedule edit

In December 2018, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced the schedule for 12 official DNC-sanctioned debates, set to begin in June 2019, with six debates in 2019 and the remaining six during the first four months of 2020. Candidates were allowed to participate in forums featuring multiple other candidates as long as only one candidate appeared on stage at a time. Any presidential candidates who participated in unsanctioned debates with each other would have lost their invitations to the next DNC-sanctioned debate.[1][2] No unsanctioned debates took place during the 2019—2020 debate season.

The DNC also announced that it would not partner with Fox News as a media sponsor for any debates.[3][4] Fox News last held a Democratic debate in 2003.[5] All media sponsors selected to host a debate were as a new rule required to appoint at least one female moderator for each debate, to ensure there would not be a gender-skewed treatment of the candidates and debate topics.[6]

Debate schedule
Debate Date Time
(ET) 		Viewers Location Sponsor(s) Moderator(s)
1A June 26, 2019 9–11 p.m. ~24.3 million
(15.3m live TV; 9m streaming)[7]		 Arsht Center,
Miami, Florida[8]		 NBC News
MSNBC
Telemundo 		José Díaz-Balart
Savannah Guthrie
Lester Holt
Rachel Maddow
Chuck Todd[9]
1B June 27, 2019 9–11 p.m. ~27.1 million
(18.1m live TV; 9m streaming)[10]
2A July 30, 2019 8–10:30 p.m. ~11.5 million
(8.7m live TV; 2.8m streaming) 		Fox Theatre,
Detroit, Michigan[11]		 CNN Dana Bash
Don Lemon
Jake Tapper[12]
2B July 31, 2019[13] 8–10:30 p.m. ~13.8 million
(10.7m live TV; 3.1m streaming)[14]
3 September 12, 2019 8–11 p.m. 14.04 million live TV[15] Health and Physical Education Arena,
Texas Southern University,
Houston, Texas[16]		 ABC News
Univision 		Linsey Davis
David Muir
Jorge Ramos
George Stephanopoulos[17]
4 October 15, 2019[18] 8–11 p.m. ~8.8 million
(8.34m live TV; 0.45m streaming)[19]		 Rike Physical Education Center,
Otterbein University,
Westerville, Ohio 		CNN
The New York Times[20] 		Erin Burnett
Anderson Cooper
Marc Lacey[21]
5 November 20, 2019[22] 9–11 p.m. ~7.9 million
(6.6m live TV; 1.3m streaming)[23]		 Oprah Winfrey sound stage,
Tyler Perry Studios,
Atlanta, Georgia[24]		 MSNBC
The Washington Post 		Rachel Maddow
Andrea Mitchell
Ashley Parker
Kristen Welker[25]
6 December 19, 2019 8–11 p.m.[26] ~14.6 million
(6.17m live TV; 8.4m streaming)[27]		 Gersten Pavilion,
Loyola Marymount University,
Los Angeles, California[28]		 PBS
Politico 		Tim Alberta
Yamiche Alcindor
Amna Nawaz
Judy Woodruff[29]
7 January 14, 2020 9–11:15 p.m.[30] ~11.3 million
(7.3m live TV; 4.0m streaming)[31]		 Sheslow Auditorium,
Drake University,
Des Moines, Iowa[32][33]		 CNN
The Des Moines Register 		Wolf Blitzer
Brianne Pfannenstiel
Abby Phillip[34]
8 February 7, 2020 8–10:30 p.m.[35] ~11.0 million
(7.8m live TV; 3.2m streaming)[36]		 Thomas F. Sullivan Arena,
Saint Anselm College,
Manchester, New Hampshire[32][37]		 ABC News
WMUR-TV
Apple News 		Linsey Davis
Monica Hernandez
David Muir
Adam Sexton
George Stephanopoulos[35]
9 February 19, 2020 9–11 p.m.[38] ~33.16 million
(19.66m live TV; 13.5m streaming)[39][40][41]		 Le Théâtre des Arts,
Paris Las Vegas,
Paradise, Nevada[38]		 NBC News
MSNBC
Telemundo
The Nevada Independent 		Vanessa Hauc
Lester Holt
Hallie Jackson
Jon Ralston
Chuck Todd[38]
10 February 25, 2020 8–10 p.m.[42] ~30.4 million
(15.3m live TV; 15.1m streaming)[43]		 Gaillard Center,
Charleston, South Carolina[32]		 CBS News
BET
Twitter
Congressional Black Caucus Institute[44]		 Margaret Brennan
Major Garrett
Gayle King
Norah O'Donnell
Bill Whitaker[44]
11 March 15, 2020 8–10 p.m.[45] ~11.4 million
(10.8m live TV; 0.6m streaming)[46]		 CNN studio
Washington, D.C.[47]		 CNN
Univision
Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD 		Dana Bash
Ilia Calderón
Jake Tapper[47]

Participation edit

The following is a table of participating candidates in each debate:

Participating candidates in the DNC-sanctioned debates[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]
Candidate

 P  Present  A  Absent  I  Invited  N  Not invited  Out  Not yet entered race  W  Withdrawn

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Joe Biden P P P P P P P P P P P
Bernie Sanders P P P P P P P P P P P
Tulsi Gabbard P P N P P N N N N N N
Elizabeth Warren P P P P P P P P P P W
Michael Bloomberg Out N N N P P W
Amy Klobuchar P P P P P P P P P P W
Pete Buttigieg P P P P P P P P P P W
Tom Steyer Out N N P P P P P N P W
Deval Patrick Out N N N W
Michael Bennet P P N N N N N N W
Andrew Yang P P P P P P N P W
John Delaney P P N N N N N W
Cory Booker P P P P P N N W
Marianne Williamson P P N N N N W
Julián Castro P P P P N N W
Kamala Harris P P P P P W
Steve Bullock N P N N N W
Joe Sestak Out N N N N W
Wayne Messam N N N N N W
Beto O'Rourke P P P P W
Tim Ryan P P N N W
Bill de Blasio P P N W
Kirsten Gillibrand P P W
Seth Moulton N N W
Jay Inslee P P W
John Hickenlooper P P W
Mike Gravel N N W
Eric Swalwell P W
Richard Ojeda W

Debates in 2019 edit

First debates (June 26–27, 2019) edit

Qualification edit

To qualify for the first debates, entrants had to, at a minimum, achieve one of the two criteria listed. If this had resulted in more than 20 qualified candidates, the two criteria would have been evaluated in combination per an outlined set of tiebreaking rules, but since 20 candidates qualified, no tiebreaker was necessary.[57] The deadline for candidates to meet either of the below criteria was June 12.[58][59]

Summary edit

Democratic Party debates
First Democratic debates
HostNBC and MSNBC
Date(s)June 26, 2019
June 27, 2019
VenueArsht Center
LocationMiami, Florida
Lead moderatorSavannah Guthrie
Other moderatorsLester Holt
Chuck Todd
Rachel Maddow
José Díaz-Balart
External videos
NBC News / MSNBC
Democratic Debate,
Miami, Florida,
June 26, 2019
June 27, 2019
  June 26 Live Stream Recording,
NBC News via YouTube[87]
  June 27 Live Stream Recording,
NBC News via YouTube[88]

The Democratic Party's first presidential debates ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election were held in two groups on June 26 and 27, 2019, in Miami, Florida.

Starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, they aired on NBC and were broadcast on radio by Westwood One. Savannah Guthrie was the lead moderator of the debates, joined by Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow, and José Díaz-Balart.

The DNC drew lots among the 20 qualified candidates for the first debate to determine whether they should debate on the first night (June 26) or second night (June 27) at the NBC News headquarters (30 Rockefeller Plaza) in New York City on June 14. The qualified candidates or their representatives were present and involved at the drawing event,[89] which was not televised.[90]

The debates took place at the Arsht Center in Miami, Florida. The first night of the debate was marked by a noted dust-up between O'Rourke and Castro on the subject of immigration, which Castro was widely perceived to have won, while Warren met expectations as a top-tier candidate. In addition, Booker and Klobuchar each had their moment in the spotlight, Klobuchar in particular being noted for her one-liners, one of which was about acknowledging that, for the first time in U.S. history, there were at least three women on stage at a presidential debate.[91][92] Gabbard took on Ryan over continuing the US presence in Afghanistan.[93] Booker, Castro, and O'Rourke all spoke Spanish at different times during the debate, which received mixed reception and was met with jokes from second-night competitors Williamson and Yang on Twitter.[94][95] On night two, Harris and Biden clashed over Biden's past comments about working with segregationist senators and his stance on desegregation busing.[96] The second night was also notable for the performance of Williamson, who received significant attention for comments she made during the debate perceived as strange, including a reference to the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern.[97][98]

Before these debates, no major party had ever seen more than one female candidate on a presidential debate stage.[99]

Night one candidates
Candidates
drawn for the
June 26 debate 		Drawing tier[a] Polling
criterion
result[66]		 Airtime (min.)[100]
Warren 1 16.3% (10 polls) 9.3
O'Rourke 1 10.3% (10 polls) 10.3
Booker 1 4.0% (10 polls) 10.9
Klobuchar 1 3.7% (10 polls) 8.5
Castro 1 2.0% (8 polls) 8.8
Gabbard 2 1.3% (8 polls) 6.6
Ryan 2 1.3% (9 polls) 7.7
Inslee 2 1% (7 polls) 5.0
de Blasio 2 1% (3 polls) 5.6
Delaney 2 1% (3 polls) 6.6
Average 4.2% 7.9
Night two candidates
Candidates
drawn for the
June 27 debate 		Drawing tier[a] Polling
criterion
result[66]		 Airtime (min.)[100]
Biden 1 37.7% (10 polls) 13.6
Sanders 1 26.7% (10 polls) 11.0
Buttigieg 1 13% (10 polls) 10.5
Harris 1 11% (10 polls) 11.9
Yang 2 1.7% (10 polls) 3.0
Gillibrand 2 1.3% (6 polls) 7.5
Hickenlooper 2 1.3% (5 polls) 5.2
Bennet 2 1% (3 polls) 8.1
Williamson 2 1%, (4 polls) 5.0
Swalwell 2 1% (3 polls) 4.3
Average 9.6% 8.0

Second debates (July 30–31, 2019) edit

Qualification edit

The criteria for qualifying for the second debates were the same as for the first debates.[101] To qualify for the second debates, debate entrants had to, at minimum, comply with one of the two below listed criteria.[57] Mike Gravel was not invited to the debates since he only met the donor threshold, which was given a lesser weight than the polling threshold.[102] The deadline for candidates to meet either of the below criteria was July 16.[103]

Summary edit

Democratic Party debates
Second Democratic debates
HostCNN
Date(s)July 30, 2019[107]
July 31, 2019[108]
VenueFox Theatre
LocationDetroit, Michigan
Lead moderatorJake Tapper
Other moderatorsDana Bash
Don Lemon

The Democratic Party's second presidential debates ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election were held on July 30 and 31, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan.

Starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, they aired on CNN and were broadcast on radio by Westwood One. Jake Tapper was the lead moderator of the debates, joined by Dana Bash and Don Lemon.

The drawing of lots among the 20 invited candidates to determine when they will debate was televised in prime time on July 18.[109] There were three tiers of candidates that were split between two nights, as opposed to the two tiers used in the first debates.[110]

In total, 21 candidates qualified for the second debate. The 14 candidates who met both criteria (Biden, Sanders, Warren, Harris, Buttigieg, O'Rourke, Booker, Klobuchar, Castro, Yang, Gabbard, Gillibrand, Inslee, and Williamson) and the six candidates who met the polling criterion only (Ryan, Hickenlooper, Delaney, de Blasio, Bennet, and Bullock) were invited to participate in the debate. Gravel, the one candidate to qualify by the donor criterion only, was not invited because of the 20-candidate limit and the polling criterion's precedence over the donor criterion as mandated by the DNC. The set of participants for the second debate was identical to the first debates with one exception: Bullock replaced Swalwell, who suspended his campaign between the first and second debates.[102]

The debate on July 30 featured Bullock, Buttigieg, Delaney, Hickenlooper, Klobuchar, O'Rourke, Ryan, Sanders, Warren and Williamson, while the debate on July 31 featured Bennet, Biden, Booker, Castro, de Blasio, Gabbard, Gillibrand, Harris, Inslee and Yang.[49][111] Both debates took place at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.

The overarching theme on the first night was a clash between moderates and progressives on a variety of issues, ranging from Medicare for All to electability.[112] CNN received criticism for allegedly inciting conflicts between candidates and making questions from Republican talking points, as well as enforcing the time limits too strictly.[113] The second night saw significant discussion centered on candidates' differing health care plans. Additionally, Gabbard went on the offensive against Harris.[114][115]

Night one candidates
Candidates
drawn for the
July 30 debate 		Drawing tier[b] Polling
criterion
result[66]		 Airtime (min.)[100]
Sanders 1 27% (19 polls) 17.6
Warren 1 19% (19 polls) 17.9
Buttigieg 2 13.3% (19 polls) 14.4
O'Rourke 2 10.3% (18 polls) 10.9
Klobuchar 2 4% (16 polls) 10.7
Hickenlooper 3 1.3% (9 polls) 8.8
Ryan 3 1.3% (9 polls) 9.8
Delaney 3 1.3% (8 polls) 10.3
Williamson 3 1% (8 polls) 8.9
Bullock 3 1% (4 polls) 10.8
Average 8% 12.0
Night two candidates
Candidates
drawn for the
July 31 debate 		Drawing tier[b] Polling
criterion
result[66]		 Airtime (min.)[100]
Biden 1 40.7% (19 polls) 21.2
Harris 1 17.7% (19 polls) 17.7
Booker 2 4.3% (19 polls) 12.8
Castro 2 2.7% (12 polls) 10.5
Yang 2 2% (18 polls) 8.7
Gabbard 3 1.3% (12 polls) 10.6
Gillibrand 3 1.3% (10 polls) 11.6
Inslee 3 1% (9 polls) 10.7
Bennet 3 1% (7 polls) 10.6
de Blasio 3 1% (4 polls) 9.7
Average 7.3% 12.4

Participation edit

Each of the first two debates took place during two consecutive nights, with a maximum of 10 candidates per night. The DNC, at a public event before each debate, drew lots among the qualified candidates to determine whether they shall debate on the first or second night.[116][117] This drawing procedure was designed to avoid the appearance of a "kiddie table" debate where the lowest polling candidates were grouped together with no leading candidates, which happened during the 2016 Republican Party presidential debates.[118]

Third debate (September 12, 2019) edit

Qualification edit

The third debate took place at the Health and Physical Education Arena on the campus of Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. For participation in the third debate, candidates were required to meet both polling and fundraising criteria by August 28 (in comparison to the first and second debates, where only one criterion was necessary). Qualifying polls had to be released between June 28 and August 28.[119] Five candidates (Gravel, Hickenlooper, Inslee, Moulton, and Gillibrand) suspended their campaigns between the second and third debates.

On August 23, the Gabbard campaign criticized the DNC's purported lack of transparency in the process of selecting organizations/institutions to sponsor polls and how better-ranked polls were excluded. The campaign also highlighted the stark reduction in poll frequency, especially in early primary states,[120] after the second debate compared to after the first debate and how they believed that that was "particularly harmful" to candidates with lower name recognition.[121] The campaigns of Marianne Williamson,[122] Tom Steyer,[123] and Michael Bennet[124][125] also requested that the DNC increase the number of certified polls by expanding the list of certified poll sponsoring organizations.

Summary edit

Democratic Party debates
Third Democratic debate
HostABC News
Univision
Date(s)September 12, 2019
VenueHealth & Physical Education Arena
Texas Southern University
LocationHouston, Texas
Lead moderatorGeorge Stephanopoulos
Other moderatorsDavid Muir
Linsey Davis
Jorge Ramos
External videos
ABC News/Univision Democratic Debate,
Houston, Texas, September 12, 2019
  Live Stream Recording,
ABC News via YouTube[143]
  Live Stream Recording,
Univision via YouTube[144]

The Democratic Party's third presidential debate ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election took place on September 12, 2019, in Houston, Texas.

It aired on ABC News and Univision. George Stephanopoulos was the lead moderator of the debate, joined by David Muir, Linsey Davis, and Jorge Ramos.[145]

The candidates who qualified for the third debate were Biden, Booker, Buttigieg, Castro, Harris, Klobuchar, O'Rourke, Sanders, Warren, and Yang.[50]

Candidates Airtime (min.)[146]
Biden 17.4
Warren 16.5
Booker 14.7
Sanders 14.1
Harris 13.7
Buttigieg 11.4
Castro 11.0
Klobuchar 10.4
O'Rourke 9.3
Yang 7.9
Average 12.6

Fourth debate (October 15, 2019) edit

Qualification edit

A memo released by the DNC on August 5 indicated that the qualification period for the fourth debate in October started on June 28, which was the same day that qualification began for the third debate (in effect allowing all candidates who qualified for the third debate to automatically qualify for the fourth debate). This gave candidates who did not qualify for the September debate more time to qualify for the October debate.[147] Biden, Booker, Buttigieg, Castro, Harris, Klobuchar, O'Rourke, Sanders, Warren, and Yang qualified before August 22,[148] while Steyer and Gabbard qualified on September 8[149] and September 24 respectively.[150] The qualification deadline for the fourth debate was October 1, 2019.[151] One candidate (de Blasio) suspended his campaign between the third and fourth debates.[152]

Summary edit

Democratic Party debates
Fourth Democratic debate
HostCNN
The New York Times
Date(s)October 15, 2019[153][154][155]
VenueRike Physical Education Center
Otterbein University
LocationWesterville, Ohio
Lead moderatorAnderson Cooper
Other moderatorsErin Burnett
Marc Lacey
External videos
CNN
The New York Times
Democratic Debate,
Westerville, Ohio
October 15, 2019
  CNN Replay,
CNN via Facebook[156]
  full video – Part 1[157]
  full video – Part 2[158]
  full video – Part 3[159]
  full video – Part 4[160]
  full video – Parts 1,2,3,4[161]

The Democratic Party's fourth presidential debate was held on Tuesday October 15, 2019, in Westerville, Ohio,[162] from 8 to 11 p.m. EDT.[163] On September 27, the DNC announced that the debate would include all 12 candidates on one night, although some had assumed it would take place on two nights since it had more than 10 participants. From left to right, the candidates were: Gabbard (who missed the previous debate), Steyer (in his first debate), Booker, Harris, Sanders, Biden and Warren (who shared center stage), Buttigieg, Yang, O'Rourke, Klobuchar, and Castro. Podium order for the debate was determined based on an average of the 10 most recently released qualifying polls. CNN anchors Erin Burnett and Anderson Cooper and New York Times national editor Marc Lacey served as the debate moderators.[164]

The debate aired exclusively on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español, and was streamed on CNN.com's homepage and NYTimes.com's homepage. The debate also streamed live on the following Facebook Pages: CNN, CNN International, CNN Politics, CNN Replay, AC360 and Erin Burnett OutFront.

In addition, the debate was available across mobile devices via CNN's and New York Times' apps for iOS and Android, via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Android TV, SiriusXM Channels 116, 454 and 795, the Westwood One Radio Network and National Public Radio.[165]

The Ohio debate featured 12 candidates, setting a record for the highest number of candidates in one presidential debate.

Candidates Airtime (min.)[166]
Warren 22.8
Biden 16.7
Klobuchar 13.3
O'Rourke 13.2
Sanders 13.1
Buttigieg 13.0
Harris 12.4
Booker 11.7
Yang 8.5
Castro 8.4
Gabbard 8.4
Steyer 7.2
Average 12.4

Fifth debate (November 20, 2019) edit

Qualification edit

A memo released by the DNC on September 23 indicated that the qualification period for the November debate started on September 13, and ended on November 13. To qualify in terms of polling, candidates needed to reach three percent or more in four polls approved by the DNC. Alternatively, reaching five percent or more in two DNC-approved polls conducted in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina was also accepted as meeting the polling threshold. To qualify in terms of donors, candidates needed to receive donations from 165,000 unique donors with 600 unique donors in 20 different states, territories or the District of Columbia.[167] Three candidates (Messam, O'Rourke, and Ryan) suspended their campaigns between the fourth and fifth debates.

Summary edit

Democratic Party debates
Fifth Democratic debate
HostMSNBC
The Washington Post
Date(s)November 20, 2019
VenueOprah Winfrey Soundstage 1,[24]
Van Horn Rd,[180]
Tyler Perry Studios
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
Other moderatorsRachel Maddow
Andrea Mitchell
Kristen Welker
Ashley Parker[25]

The Democratic Party's fifth presidential debate was held on November 20, 2019, from 9 to 11:20 p.m. ET,[25] at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.[181][182][22] It was moderated by Rachel Maddow, Andrea Mitchell, Kristen Welker and Ashley Parker.[25]

The candidates who qualified were Biden, Booker, Buttigieg, Gabbard, Harris, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer, Warren and Yang.[52]

Candidates Airtime (min.)[183]
Warren 13.5
Buttigieg 12.9
Biden 12.8
Sanders 11.8
Booker 11.5
Harris 11.5
Klobuchar 11.0
Gabbard 9.2
Steyer 8.4
Yang 6.8

Sixth debate (December 19, 2019) edit

Qualification edit

A memo released by the DNC on October 25 indicated that the qualification period for the December debate started on October 16, and ended on December 12. To qualify in terms of polling, candidates had to reach four percent or more in four polls approved by the DNC. Alternatively, reaching six percent or more in two DNC-approved polls conducted in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, or South Carolina was also accepted as meeting the polling threshold. To qualify in terms of donors, candidates had to receive donations from 200,000 unique donors with 800 unique donors in 20 different states, territories or the District of Columbia.[184]

Summary edit

Democratic Party debates
Sixth Democratic debate
HostPBS NewsHour
Politico
Date(s)December 19, 2019
VenueGersten Pavilion
Loyola Marymount University
LocationLos Angeles, California
Lead moderatorJudy Woodruff
Other moderatorsTim Alberta
Yamiche Alcindor
Amna Nawaz
[29]
External videos
PBS NewsHour
Politico
Democratic Debate,
Los Angeles, California,
December 19, 2019
  Live Stream Recording,
Politico via YouTube[198]
  Live Stream Recording,
PBS NewsHour via YouTube[199]

The Democratic Party's sixth presidential debate was held on December 19, 2019, at 8 p.m. ET[53] at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California,[28] and was hosted by PBS NewsHour and Politico.[200] It was initially set to be held at the University of California, Los Angeles.[201] However, the DNC announced on November 6 that UCLA was no longer hosting the debate due to a labor dispute.[202] Three candidates (Sestak, Bullock and Harris) suspended their campaigns between the fifth and sixth Democratic debates; Harris would have qualified for the sixth debate had her campaign continued.

Gabbard, a few days before failing to qualify for the debate,[53] announced on December 9 that she would not participate regardless of whether she qualifies.[203]

The debate aired on Politico.com, PBS, and CNN.[26]

The candidates who qualified were Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer, Warren and Yang.[53] Highlights included: an exchange between Buttigieg, Warren, and Sanders about campaign financing (including mention of a Buttigieg fundraiser in a Napa Valley wine cave), differences between Klobuchar and Buttigieg on the issue of experience, and a discussion about health care between Sanders and Biden. The candidates were in agreement about the impeachment of Donald Trump, which had been approved by the House of Representatives the day before. Sanders and Klobuchar had a disagreement about the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, with the former opposed to and the latter in favor of ratification. Yang, the only candidate of color, expressed lament that Kamala Harris and Cory Booker were absent, and declared that his universal-basic-income proposal would diversify the field. Sanders, Biden, and Warren parried a question about age.[204][205] Steyer stated that climate change would be his top priority as president, and the issue was discussed at length by all the candidates.[206][207]

The Chinese government censored a live feed of the debate after moderator Judy Woodruff asked Pete Buttigieg if the U.S. should boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing over China's alleged human rights abuses of Uyghur citizens.[208]

Candidates Airtime (min.)[209]
Sanders 20.5
Klobuchar 19.9
Warren 19.6
Buttigieg 19.6
Biden 15.5
Steyer 11.8
Yang 10.9

Debates in 2020 edit

Seventh debate (January 14, 2020) edit

Qualification edit

A memo released by the DNC on December 20 indicated that the qualification period for the January debate started on November 14, 2019, and ended on January 10, 2020. A candidate needed to meet both polling and donor criteria. Candidates had to reach 5% or more in four polls approved by the DNC, or 7% or more in two DNC-approved polls conducted in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, or South Carolina. In addition, candidates must have received donations from 225,000 unique donors, including 1,000 unique donors in 20 different states, territories or the District of Columbia.[210] The candidates who qualified were Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer and Warren.[54] This debate stage featured all of the candidates from the sixth debate except for Yang. Steyer qualified with 2 early-state polls on the penultimate day to qualify, while the other five all qualified much earlier. Yang and Booker met the fundraising criterion but failed to meet the polling criteria. Bloomberg met polling criteria but not the fundraising criterion, as he was not then asking for donations.[211] Three candidates (Castro, Williamson and Booker) suspended their campaigns between the sixth and seventh debates, with Booker dropping out two days after the qualifying candidates were announced.

Summary edit

Democratic Party debates
Seventh Democratic debate
HostCNN
Des Moines Register
Date(s)January 14, 2020
VenueDrake University
LocationDes Moines, Iowa
Lead moderatorWolf Blitzer[34]
Other moderatorsBrianne Pfannenstiel
Abby Phillip[34]

The Democratic Party's seventh presidential debate was held from 8 to 10:15 p.m. CT[30] on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. It was hosted by CNN and The Des Moines Register.[32] Several sources noted an exchange between Warren and Sanders. They discussed Warren's accusation that Sanders told her privately that women could not successfully win the presidency. Sanders flatly denied this accusation and pointed to his deference to Warren before running for president in 2016. Warren insisted that Sanders had said women could not win and pointed out that the women on stage had not lost any election, while the men on stage had lost 10 elections combined.[216]

At the end of the debate when candidates were shaking hands with one another, Warren was seen declining a handshake from Bernie Sanders; the two candidates then appeared to argue with each other. It was later revealed that Warren commented to Sanders, "I think you called me a liar on national TV." Sanders replied, "Let's not do it right now. You want to have that discussion, we'll have that discussion. You called me a liar."[217]

Candidates Airtime (min.)[218]
Warren 18.9
Sanders 17.8
Klobuchar 17.6
Buttigieg 16.7
Biden 16.3
Steyer 12.6

Eighth debate (February 7, 2020) edit

Qualification edit

The qualifications for the eighth debate were similar to those for the January debate (5% nationally/early states, or 7% in early states, this time excluding Iowa) except for the added provision that all candidates who gained at least one pledged delegate in the Iowa caucus (which is expected to apply only to candidates supported by at least 15% of the final votes statewide or in a district) would also automatically qualify for the debate.[219] Candidates had until February 6 to qualify.[220]

The candidates who qualified included Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer, Warren, and Yang.[55]

One candidate (Delaney) suspended his campaign between the seventh and eighth debates.[221]

Summary edit

Democratic Party debates
Eighth Democratic debate
HostABC News
WMUR-TV
Apple News
Date(s)February 7, 2020
VenueSaint Anselm College
LocationManchester, New Hampshire
Other moderatorsLinsey Davis
Monica Hernandez
David Muir
Adam Sexton
George Stephanopoulos
External videos
ABC News
Democratic Debate,
Manchester, New Hampshire,
February 7, 2020
  Live Stream Recording,
ABC News via YouTube[227]

The Democratic Party's eighth presidential debate was held from 8–10:30 p.m. ET[35] on Friday, February 7, 2020, at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. It was hosted by ABC's New Hampshire affiliate WMUR-TV and Apple News.[228]

Emerging as frontrunners after the Iowa caucuses, Buttigieg and Sanders came under attack by other candidates. Klobuchar questioned Buttigieg on his lack of political experience, whereas Biden pressed Sanders to clarify how he would fund Medicare For All and brought up his past stances on gun control, citing Sanders's votes against the Brady Bill in the 1990s. Moderator Linsey Davis also inquired Buttigieg on the rise in marijuana-related incarcerations of African Americans in South Bend during his tenure as mayor, which he attributed to "systemic racism". Candidates also voiced praise for Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, who was the only Republican senator to vote against Donald Trump's acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial two days earlier, and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who was fired from the National Security Council by Trump after serving as a key witness on the trial.[229] On the topic of campaign finance, Elizabeth Warren stated that political action committees had assisted all of the non-billionaire candidates except for Amy Klobuchar and herself. Another prominent issue discussed in the debate was abortion, with several candidates pledging to only support Supreme Court nominees who will uphold abortion rights and pushed for the codification of Roe v. Wade.[230]

Candidates Airtime (min.)[231]
Sanders 20.1
Biden 19.6
Buttigieg 18.5
Klobuchar 16.5
Warren 15.9
Steyer 13.9
Yang 8.1

Ninth debate (February 19, 2020) edit

Qualification edit

The DNC announced on January 31 that it was eliminating the donor threshold as a debate qualification requirement for any debate following the New Hampshire debate on February 7,[232] which prompted criticism from several candidates as it was perceived to accommodate Bloomberg, who is not accepting individual donations. The polling thresholds were drastically increased since the last debate, with candidates now having to reach 10% in DNC-approved national polls or 12% in early state polls conducted in Nevada and South Carolina. Candidates who won at least one pledged delegate in the Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary were automatically qualified for the debate. Candidates had until February 18 to qualify.[233]

The candidates who qualified included Biden, Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, and Warren. Three candidates (Yang, Bennet, and Patrick) suspended their campaigns between the eighth and ninth debates.[56]

Summary edit

Democratic Party debates
Ninth Democratic debate
HostNBC News
MSNBC
The Nevada Independent
Date(s)February 19, 2020
VenueParis Las Vegas
LocationParadise, Nevada
Other moderatorsVanessa Hauc
Lester Holt
Hallie Jackson
Jon Ralston
Chuck Todd
External videos
NBC News / MSNBC
Democratic Debate,
Las Vegas, Nevada,
February 20, 2020
  Live Stream Recording,
NBC News via YouTube[238]

The Democratic Party's ninth presidential debate was held from 6–8 p.m. PST[239] on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, at Paris Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It was hosted by NBC News and MSNBC, in partnership with The Nevada Independent.[228]

Bloomberg, who made his debate stage debut after qualifying only a day prior,[240] was widely regarded by multiple news outlets as having performed poorly.[241][242] Bloomberg's political and personal record came under heavy scrutiny by other candidates, including his previous support of stop-and-frisk policies during his tenure as mayor of New York City. The controversial program, which disproportionately targeted racial minorities, was referred to by Biden as "abhorrent" and "a violation of every right people have".[243] Warren reprimanded Bloomberg for his recently resurfaced derogatory comments on women and called for him to rescind the non-disclosure agreements he signed with several of his company's former female employees over sexual harassment and workplace discrimination, accusing Bloomberg of attempting to "muzzle" them.[244]

Sanders's electability was also brought up in the debate, when moderator Lester Holt mentioned the findings of a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll which showed that two thirds of American voters would not be comfortable with a socialist presidential candidate; Sanders retorted by touting his wide lead over other candidates in the same poll.[245][246] Bloomberg criticized Sanders's advocacy of democratic socialism by comparing it to communism, which Sanders dismissed as a "cheap shot", arguing that his economic policies were closer to Nordic social democracy.[247][248] Buttigieg, meanwhile, branded both Sanders and Bloomberg as polarizing figures who would further divide the party if one of them were to receive the nomination.[249]

Healthcare was another issue discussed by the candidates, in light of the Culinary Workers Union's recent criticism that Sanders's Medicare for All policy would replace their existing union healthcare in favor of a government plan.[250] In response, Sanders defended his plan by saying that it would expand, rather than take away, healthcare benefits for union members.[251] Warren attacked Buttigieg and Klobuchar on their more moderate healthcare plans, likening their lack of details to a "PowerPoint" presentation and "Post-it Note" respectively.[252] On the other hand, Klobuchar argued that Sanders's Medicare for All proposal would be too radical to garner enough support in the Senate, whereas Buttigieg expressed disapproval at the idea of letting the government decide what healthcare plan is best for unions, calling it "condescension and arrogance".[253]

The televised debate drew a combined 19.7 million viewers on NBC and MSNBC, making it the most-watched Democratic primary debate of all time.[254]

Candidates Airtime (min.)[255]
Warren 16.6
Klobuchar 15.9
Sanders 15.4
Buttigieg 14.8
Biden 13.4
Bloomberg 13.0

Tenth debate (February 25, 2020) edit

Qualification edit

The qualification criteria remained largely unchanged from the last debate, with candidates having to either garner at least 10% support in DNC-approved national polls or 12% in early state polls conducted in the remaining state of South Carolina in order to meet the polling threshold. Candidates could also qualify via the delegate threshold by winning at least one pledged delegate in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada. The qualification deadline for the debate was February 24.[256]

All candidates still in the race at the time (Biden, Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer and Warren), except for Gabbard, qualified for the debate.[257]

Summary edit

Democratic Party debates
Tenth Democratic debate
HostCBS News
Congressional Black Caucus Institute
Date(s)February 25, 2020
VenueGaillard Center
LocationCharleston, South Carolina
Other moderatorsMargaret Brennan
Major Garrett
Gayle King
Norah O'Donnell
Bill Whitaker
External videos
CBS News
Democratic Debate,
Charleston, South Carolina,
February 25, 2020
  Live Stream Recording,
CBS News via YouTube[262]

The Democratic Party's tenth presidential debate was held from 8–10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina. It was hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute in partnership with Twitter, and aired on CBS and BET.[228]

Following his landslide victory in Nevada the prior week, Sanders was targeted by several other candidates who attempted to dampen his momentum going into the upcoming South Carolina and Super Tuesday primaries. Biden hit Sanders on the issue of gun control by drawing a contrast between Sanders's voting record and his own, noting that he was a consistent supporter of more stringent gun regulations throughout his Senate career. Biden highlighted his role in passing legislation to expand universal background checks and extend waiting periods for purchasing guns, while pointing out that Sanders previously had a relatively moderate stance on gun control, voting against the Brady Bill and in favor of the PLCAA during his tenure as a congressman.[263] However, his claim that "150 million people have been killed since 2007" by guns was fact-checked by CNN as being incorrect, with a Biden campaign spokesperson suggesting that he might have intended to say 150,000.[264] Sanders expressed regret at his decisions, admitting that he has "cast thousands of votes, including bad votes", and noted that he currently has a D-minus rating from the National Rifle Association.[265]

Foreign policy was extensively discussed by the candidates, which took up about 25 minutes of the debate.[266] Sanders and Bloomberg clashed over past comments they have made regarding foreign authoritarian leaders; Bloomberg emphasized recent allegations that Russian President Vladimir Putin was trying to prop up the Sanders campaign.[267] When Sanders's praise for Fidel Castro's literacy programs in Cuba on 60 Minutes was brought up by Bloomberg, Sanders responded by calling out Bloomberg's refusal to call China's paramount leader Xi Jinping a dictator in an interview,[268] and pointed out that Barack Obama had also previously praised Cuba's healthcare and education. This provoked a reaction from Biden, who said that while Obama did acknowledge Cuba's progress in increasing life expectancy during a 2016 town hall, he did not "in any way suggest that there was anything positive about the Cuban government" and proceeded to condemn the dictatorial regime.[269]

The debate moderators received staunch criticism for focusing too much on narrowly-focused policy issues, failure to keep control of the candidates' speaking times, allowing candidates to interrupt other candidates during their allotted speaking times, applying the debate rules regarding giving candidates time to respond to personal attacks in a non-equitable way, and for permitting the audience to boo and jeer certain candidates without consequence. Both Biden and Sanders criticized the moderators on stage for failing to enforce the debate rules.[270][271] The crowd's negative reception of Sanders led to the proliferation of rumors on social media that the debate audience had been "stacked against" him, pointing to the high entry costs which ranged from $1,750 to $3,200 as evidence. The Democratic National Committee has denied this claim, explaining that the debate tickets were allocated among political organizations (DNC, CBCI and SCDP) and media entities (CBS and Twitter) hosting the debate as well as participating candidates' campaigns, with each campaign being given an equal quota. Tickets were guaranteed to sponsors, and the ticket costs referred to the cost of sponsorship.[272]

Candidates Airtime (min.)[273]
Sanders 15.5
Bloomberg 13.6
Klobuchar 13.4
Warren 12.9
Biden 12.6
Buttigieg 11.6
Steyer 7.1

Eleventh debate (March 15, 2020) edit

Democratic Party debates
Eleventh Democratic debate
HostCNN
Univision
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Date(s)March 15, 2020[274]
VenueCNN studio[47]
LocationWashington, D.C.
Lead moderatorJake Tapper[47]
Other moderatorsDana Bash
Ilia Calderón[47]
External videos
CNN/Univision/Congressional Hispanic Caucus Democratic Debate,
Washington, D.C., March 15, 2020
  full video – Part 1[275]
  full video – Part 2[276]
  full video – Part 3[277]
  full video – Part 4[278]
  full video – Part 5[279]
  full video – Part 6[280]

CNN, Univision, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus hosted the eleventh debate in Washington, D.C., from 8 P.M. to 10 P.M. Eastern Time.[281]

Five candidates (Steyer, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Bloomberg, and Warren) suspended their campaigns between the tenth and eleventh debates.[282][283][284][285][286] On March 6, the DNC announced that qualification would be based on "earning at least 20 percent of delegates awarded by March 15",[287] as calculated by the Associated Press or CNN.[288]

The Democratic National Committee announced on March 10 that the debate would no longer allow a live audience, nor would press (beyond CNN and Univision) be allowed to attend, due to fears about the spread of the coronavirus.[289]

On March 12, the Democratic National Committee announced that the March 15 debate, originally scheduled to take place at the Arizona Federal Theatre[290] in Phoenix, Arizona, would instead be held at CNN's studio in Washington, D.C.[291] It also announced that Jorge Ramos was no longer a moderator because he had contact with a person with coronavirus.[47]

Qualification edit

Summary edit

The debate was primarily focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, which was discussed for 17 minutes and 45 seconds, with Biden claiming the Trump administration rejected test kits from the WHO.[295][296] Both candidates also compared the pandemic to that of the Ebola epidemic.

Cancelled twelfth debate edit

In an interview with Politico regarding the March 15 debate, a DNC official confirmed a twelfth debate was still being planned.[297] Two candidates (Gabbard and Sanders) suspended their campaigns between the eleventh and twelfth debates, leaving Biden as the only remaining major candidate.[298][299] Prior to suspending his campaign, Sanders stated that he planned to participate in the debate.[300] Biden dismissed the idea, however:

"My focus is just dealing with this crisis right now. I haven't thought about any more debates. I think we've had enough debates. I think we should get on with this."[301]

It is likely that the debate would have been hosted in an East Coast location, such as New York City.[302]

On April 8, 2020, Sanders dropped out of the Democratic primary, leaving Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee. In early June 2020, Biden passed the threshold of 1,991 delegates to gain the nomination at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.[303][304][305]

Incidents and controversies edit

Climate change debate edit

On April 22, 2019, Jay Inslee proposed that the DNC dedicate one of its presidential debates to climate change,[306] giving candidates a chance to elaborate in full detail on how they intend to implement climate action and achieve the goals presented by the Green New Deal (a progressive climate resolution proposed by Democratic members of the House of Representatives).[307] Recent polls of both Democratic voters and the electorate in general had identified this topic to be of the highest importance (for example, a CNN poll[308] found 80% of Democrats wanted presidential candidates to make climate change a top priority, and a Morning Consult poll[309] of registered voters nationwide found that 63% said it's either important or a top priority for Congress to pass a bill to address climate change). Despite support from seven other candidates (Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Julian Castro, Michael Bennet, John Delaney[310] and Seth Moulton[311]), several progressive and environmental groups (Sierra Club, CREDO Action, Sunrise Movement, Friends of the Earth Action, Public Citizen, 350 Action, MoveOn, Youth Climate Strike), at least two dozen Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate,[307] and over 52,000 signatories of a petition,[312] the DNC turned down the idea of limiting some of their debates to only one debate topic.[313][2] On June 29, 2019, however, the DNC referred to a committee a proposal "calling for an official debate on climate change".[314] On August 22, the resolutions committee voted to reject the proposal.[315]

Steve Bullock's qualification for first debate edit

After Steve Bullock received 1% in an open-ended ABC News/The Washington Post poll, controversy arose as the DNC's official qualification rules, published on February 14 and updated on May 9,[57] did not state whether open-ended polls would count towards qualification. The DNC later stated during rule guidance given on June 10 and 11,[103] that "polls based on open-ended questions will not be considered". This additional rule was initially orally communicated between DNC chairman Tom Perez and the Bullock campaign in March 2019, and was only publicly confirmed via a statement to a Politico reporter on June 6,[60] but was never confirmed in writing by any primary DNC sources ahead of the qualification deadline.[316]

On June 12, the Bullock campaign wrote a certification letter to the DNC claiming that Bullock qualified for participation in the first debate through the polling criteria (as they believed the open-ended poll from ABC News/The Washington Post should be counted as Bullock's third qualifying poll, according to the official published rules).[317] If Bullock had been deemed a qualifying candidate by the DNC, then 21 total candidates would have qualified by the polling criteria. However, the DNC explicitly limited the debate stage to 20 candidates, so that would have triggered tiebreak rules. Bullock and Eric Swalwell were tied for the 20th spot with each candidate having 1% polling averages and three qualifying polls with exactly 1% support. In that scenario, the DNC would have had to accept inviting 21 candidates, or invent a supplementing final tiebreak rule (for example, drawing lots for the last spot, or deciding the tie by their number of unique donors).[316] However, Bullock's certification letter was rejected and he failed to qualify for the first debate,[48] though he qualified for the second debate.[105]

Debate protests edit

Second debate protest edit

On the second night of the second debate, protesters motivated by the death of Eric Garner and the continued employment of Staten Island police officer Daniel Pantaleo shouted during Bill de Blasio's opening remarks, and then entirely halted Cory Booker's, disrupting the debate for nearly 30 seconds.[318]

Third debate protest edit

During the closing statements for the third debate, in which candidates were asked to recall moments of resilience after a professional setback, protesters interrupted Joe Biden for approximately two minutes. According to Jess Davidson, they shouted "we are DACA recipients; our lives are at risk!"[319] The Trump campaign accused the protesters of having insensitive timing.[320]

Ninth debate protest edit

Immigrant rights protestors interrupted Biden's closing statement.[321]

Tenth debate protest edit

Some people in the audience of the tenth debate booed candidates.[322]

Tulsi Gabbard disputes with DNC edit

Pollster selection and poll frequency edit

On August 23, Gabbard's campaign protested the failure of the DNC to release "their criteria for selecting the 16 polling organizations they deem 'certified'" for qualifying candidates for the third debate.[323] In the campaign's statement, they listed 26 polls in which Gabbard reached the 2% threshold and alleged that certain "DNC-certified" polls were rated lower than non-certified polls by organizations such as the American Research Group and FiveThirtyEight, and questioned why only four qualifying polls were released following the second debate, while fourteen were released following the first debate; and why only two polls were released in the first two weeks after the second debate while six polls were released in the first two weeks after the first debate.[121][324] The campaign further argued that the lack of polling was "particularly harmful to candidates with lower name-recognition."[121] They called on the DNC to revise the set of polls it considers for qualifying and also asked them "to hold true to their promise and make adjustments to the process now to ensure transparency and fairness."[325][326]

Several other campaigns, including those of Michael Bennet, Tom Steyer, and Marianne Williamson also criticized the unclear criteria, and overall lack, of qualifying polls.[326][327][328]

Qualifying polls for October debate edit

On September 8, a The Washington Post/ABC News poll was released. An initial report from ABC claimed that Gabbard had not received the 2% necessary for the poll to count as a qualifying poll, but the Gabbard campaign announced that she had indeed received the 2% necessary for the poll to count as a qualifying poll, citing The Washington Post figures directly.[329][330] To further complicate matters, FiveThirtyEight claimed that it had received confirmation from the DNC that the poll did not count for Gabbard but the Gabbard campaign countered by stating that no official DNC ruling had been delivered.[331][332][333]

The confusion stemmed from the fact that the poll data was presented with two sets of results: one of all adults, and one of registered voters. Gabbard reached 1% among all adults and 2% among registered voters. An approved poll conducted on July 1 was conducted similarly, but it is unclear which category was used for the qualification for the debates, as no candidate had 2% in one category and 1% in the other.[334][126] Gabbard later reached 2% in two other qualifying polls, allowing her to qualify for the fourth debate.[150]

Threatened boycotts edit

On October 10, Gabbard threatened to boycott the fourth debate, saying that she believed the DNC and the media were rigging the election.[335] On October 14, Gabbard announced that she would be attending the debate.[336] On December 9, Gabbard announced that she would boycott the sixth debate, and that instead she would be prioritizing campaigning in New Hampshire and South Carolina.[337] She failed to qualify for the sixth debate by the deadline, December 12.[338]

Eleventh debate qualification edit

On March 3, as Super Tuesday results were announced, DNC communications director Xochitl Hinojosa tweeted that the qualification threshold would likely increase, giving the reason that almost 2,000 delegates would have been allocated by the time of the debate.[339] This tweet was sent after Gabbard apparently received a delegate and would qualify for the March debate, per the previous three debates' threshold of one delegate.[340] She later gained another delegate.[341] On March 6, the DNC confirmed that the single qualification for entry to the eleventh debate would be for a candidate to have earned at least 20 percent of awarded delegates by March 15.[342] The threshold was impossible for her to meet to qualify for the eleventh debate.[294]

Andrew Yang disputes edit

Microphone complaints in first debate edit

Yang, along with Marianne Williamson and Eric Swalwell, complained of microphone problems not allowing them to speak unless called upon when other candidates seemed to be able to freely interject at all times. NBC responded by stating that none of the candidates' microphones were turned off or muted.[343]

Yang qualification for third debate edit

After Yang had received what he considered to be his fourth qualifying poll, the DNC revealed that qualifying polls conducted by different organizations would not be counted separately if they were sponsored by the same DNC-approved sponsor. The ruling was controversially disclosed by the DNC on July 30, less than one day after Yang had obtained 2% in four polls, rather than on July 19 when the second of these polls had been completed.[344] In spite of this, Yang qualified for the third debate.[50]

Yang disputes with MSNBC edit

In the fifth debate, Yang did not receive his first question until 32 minutes into the debate and spoke for considerably less time than all the other participants.[345] Yang and his supporters criticized the network for what they saw as an undemocratic process.[346] MSNBC asked Yang to join an unspecified program the weekend of November 24, but Yang said he would not appear until the network "apologizes on-air" and "discusses and includes [his] campaign consistent with [his] polling".[347] Yang ended his boycott on December 27 by going on the TV show All in with Chris Hayes, stating "I decided that I'd prefer to speak to as many Americans as possible – our message is too important" on Twitter.[348]

Yang qualification for seventh debate edit

Yang requested for the DNC to conduct more early state polls in December due to a lack of early state polling by qualifying pollsters. The DNC rejected this idea saying that conducting its own polls would call into question its impartiality.[349]

Sixth debate labor disputes edit

The sixth debate was initially set to be held at the University of California, Los Angeles.[201] However, the DNC announced on November 6 that UCLA was no longer hosting the debate due to a labor dispute.[202]

Due to a Sodexo worker strike at the new venue, Loyola Marymount University, Warren announced that she would not attend the debate unless the labor dispute was resolved, followed soon after by Sanders and Yang. All of the remaining qualifying candidates (Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Steyer) then followed suit over the next several days.[350][351] The dispute was resolved on December 17, allowing the debate to move forward.[352]

2020 debates rule-change petition edit

Days before the December 2019 debate, for which Booker did not qualify, he sent a petition to the other candidates' campaigns in which he urged the DNC to change the qualification requirements for the upcoming debates in 2020 so that more non-white candidates could participate. All candidates that qualified for the December debate as well as Castro signed the petition. The DNC rejected the request to change the qualification criteria.[353][354] The petition cites the New Hampshire Democratic Party central committee which voted to urge the DNC to "lift the barriers" on participation in further debates.[355]

Seventh debate moderation controversies edit

During the seventh Democratic debate, January 14, hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register, the wording of a series of questions from moderator Abby Phillip directed at senators Sanders and Warren drew criticisms from various other news outlets and from Sanders supporters. Following reports alleging that Sanders said to Warren in a 2018 private conversation that he did not believe that a woman could defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Sanders was given the question "Senator Warren confirmed in a statement, that in 2018 you told her that you did not believe that a woman could win the election. Why did you say that?" Sanders stated in his reply "as a matter of fact, I didn't say it" and received the follow-up question from Phillip: "I do want to be clear here, you're saying that you never told Senator Warren that a woman could not win the election?" to which Sanders replied "That is correct." Phillip's next question was directed at Warren, and was phrased: "Senator Warren, what did you think when Senator Sanders told you a woman could not win the election?"[356][357]

MSNBC hosts Mika Brzezinski and Donny Deutsch the next day on Morning Joe criticized the question, describing it as "bizarre" and "a miss" respectively.[358] Senior reporter at HuffPost Zach Carter stated that he believes CNN "botched" the debate[359] and Matt Taibi from Rolling Stone described the moderation as "shameful" and "villainous".[360] Jeet Heer from The Nation commented that CNN was "the biggest loser of the night."[361] Washington Examiner senior commentary writer Becket Adams described Phillip's question as "a hatchet job".[362] The controversy also led to negative reactions on social media.[363]

Michael Bloomberg's debate inclusion edit

In January, Michael Bloomberg became the only candidate to simultaneously reach the polling threshold and fail to reach the donor threshold since the DNC began requiring both with the third debate. According to Politico, some left-wing activists questioned whether the donor threshold should remain part of the qualification requirements,[364] asserting that a candidate polling in the high single or low double digits should not be able to escape in-person scrutiny from other candidates who participate in the debates.

DNC debate qualification rules change edit

On January 31, the DNC announced that it would not impose a donor threshold starting with the ninth debate.[232] DNC spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated that the prior rules were "appropriate for the opening stages of the race, when candidates were building their organizations and there were no metrics available outside of polling to distinguish those making progress from those who weren't."[365] She said the DNC always had planned to change the debate qualification thresholds and that "we signaled it many times". She argued that the rule change was "not designed to benefit any one candidate" and declared that "every candidate has an equal opportunity to qualify".[366]

Other candidates' reactions to Bloomberg's inclusion edit

Four candidates opposed the DNC's changing the rules allegedly to make sure Bloomberg qualifies for the debates. Sanders senior adviser Jeffrey P. Weaver stated that the rules changing "in the middle of the game" was wrong and "the definition of a rigged system". He also complained that Bloomberg "is trying to buy his way into the Democratic nomination".[365] Warren tweeted, referencing Bloomberg's personal wealth, that "[b]illionaires shouldn't be allowed to play by different rules". She further objected that the DNC failed to change the debate qualification rules to "ensure diverse candidates could remain on the debate stage".[367] Biden responded to a question about the issue by pointing out that Bloomberg is not "even on the ballot in Nevada" (the location of the first debate where Bloomberg qualified).[368] Tulsi Gabbard remarked that "The DNC's and "corporate media partners'" playing favorites with candidates is "wrong"[369] and that "[t]he DNC would rather hear from a billionaire than the only person of color left in this race, the first female combat veteran ever to run for president."[370]

On the other hand, two of the candidates welcomed Bloomberg's inclusion. Buttigieg told reporters, "It is important that we have that process where folks have to stand with their competitors and explain why each of us is the best."[371] Klobuchar took it a bit further, and stated that he should have to answer questions and not "hide behind the airwaves". She claimed that although she could not beat him "on the airwaves", she could beat him in a debate.[372]

Criticisms about the tenth debate edit

Alleged influence efforts by Bloomberg edit

There were accusations online and in the media that Bloomberg had stacked the audience in his favor, though nothing was ever proven. The high ticket prices to the event were also heavily condemned.[373] A 60-second ad for Bloomberg's campaign played during the first and second commercial breaks, drawing ire, especially online.[374]

Moderation edit

CBS was also widely criticized for doing a poor job of moderating the debate and letting candidates talk over each other, often leading to 10–20 seconds of unintelligible shouting.[375][376]

Criticisms about the eleventh debate edit

Announcement of change from prior format edit

Following Super Tuesday, the DNC and CNN announced that the eleventh debate would occur in a seated format with "a more intimate setting" and a "town hall-style production featuring audience questions," instead of the traditional format of the prior debates led by formal moderator questioning.[377] This announcement was opposed by the Sanders campaign as "giving Biden too much of a break" and avoiding an "exchange of ideas",[377] as well as criticized by commentators.[378] These concerns became moot after the coronavirus pandemic forced the debate to be changed to the traditional moderator questioning format without any audience.[47]

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b The drawing of lots happened from two tier groups (with the top tier comprising all qualified candidates with a polling average of over 2%, and the other tier comprising the rest), so that each tier was evenly split between each of the two debate nights.[89]
  2. ^ a b The drawing of lots happened from three tier groups (with the top tier comprising all qualified candidates with a polling average of over 15%), so that each tier was evenly split between each of the two debate nights.
  3. ^ a b c Bloomberg is not collecting donations.[196] To avoid being classified as receiving donations, the Bloomberg campaign reportedly sells campaign merchandise at its cost, preempting against the possibility of meeting the donor criterion.[197]
  4. ^ a b 6 from national; 3 from South Carolina
  5. ^ 4 from national 1 from South Carolina
  6. ^ 6 from national; 1 from South Carolina
  7. ^ 6 from national
  8. ^ 3 from South Carolina

References edit

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December 02, 2023
2020, democratic, party, presidential, debates, debates, took, place, among, candidates, campaign, democratic, party, nomination, president, united, states, 2020, presidential, election, there, were, total, major, democratic, candidates, these, candidates, par. Debates took place among candidates in the campaign for the Democratic Party s nomination for the president of the United States in the 2020 presidential election There were a total of 29 major Democratic candidates Of these 23 candidates participated in at least one debate Only Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders participated in all the debates Pete Buttigieg Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren participated in all but the final debate Contents 1 Overview 1 1 Schedule 1 2 Participation 2 Debates in 2019 2 1 First debates June 26 27 2019 2 1 1 Qualification 2 1 2 Summary 2 2 Second debates July 30 31 2019 2 2 1 Qualification 2 2 2 Summary 2 2 3 Participation 2 3 Third debate September 12 2019 2 3 1 Qualification 2 3 2 Summary 2 4 Fourth debate October 15 2019 2 4 1 Qualification 2 4 2 Summary 2 5 Fifth debate November 20 2019 2 5 1 Qualification 2 5 2 Summary 2 6 Sixth debate December 19 2019 2 6 1 Qualification 2 6 2 Summary 3 Debates in 2020 3 1 Seventh debate January 14 2020 3 1 1 Qualification 3 1 2 Summary 3 2 Eighth debate February 7 2020 3 2 1 Qualification 3 2 2 Summary 3 3 Ninth debate February 19 2020 3 3 1 Qualification 3 3 2 Summary 3 4 Tenth debate February 25 2020 3 4 1 Qualification 3 4 2 Summary 3 5 Eleventh debate March 15 2020 3 5 1 Qualification 3 5 2 Summary 3 6 Cancelled twelfth debate 4 Incidents and controversies 4 1 Climate change debate 4 2 Steve Bullock s qualification for first debate 4 3 Debate protests 4 3 1 Second debate protest 4 3 2 Third debate protest 4 3 3 Ninth debate protest 4 3 4 Tenth debate protest 4 4 Tulsi Gabbard disputes with DNC 4 4 1 Pollster selection and poll frequency 4 4 2 Qualifying polls for October debate 4 4 3 Threatened boycotts 4 4 4 Eleventh debate qualification 4 5 Andrew Yang disputes 4 5 1 Microphone complaints in first debate 4 5 2 Yang qualification for third debate 4 5 3 Yang disputes with MSNBC 4 5 4 Yang qualification for seventh debate 4 6 Sixth debate labor disputes 4 7 2020 debates rule change petition 4 8 Seventh debate moderation controversies 4 9 Michael Bloomberg s debate inclusion 4 9 1 DNC debate qualification rules change 4 9 2 Other candidates reactions to Bloomberg s inclusion 4 10 Criticisms about the tenth debate 4 10 1 Alleged influence efforts by Bloomberg 4 10 2 Moderation 4 11 Criticisms about the eleventh debate 4 11 1 Announcement of change from prior format 5 Notes 6 ReferencesOverview edit nbsp nbsp D1Miami nbsp D2Detroit nbsp D3Houston nbsp D4Westerville nbsp D5Atlanta nbsp D6LA nbsp D7Des Moines nbsp D8Manchester nbsp D9Paradise nbsp D10Charleston nbsp D11Washington D C class notpageimage Sites of the eleven Democratic presidential debates Schedule edit In December 2018 the Democratic National Committee DNC announced the schedule for 12 official DNC sanctioned debates set to begin in June 2019 with six debates in 2019 and the remaining six during the first four months of 2020 Candidates were allowed to participate in forums featuring multiple other candidates as long as only one candidate appeared on stage at a time Any presidential candidates who participated in unsanctioned debates with each other would have lost their invitations to the next DNC sanctioned debate 1 2 No unsanctioned debates took place during the 2019 2020 debate season The DNC also announced that it would not partner with Fox News as a media sponsor for any debates 3 4 Fox News last held a Democratic debate in 2003 5 All media sponsors selected to host a debate were as a new rule required to appoint at least one female moderator for each debate to ensure there would not be a gender skewed treatment of the candidates and debate topics 6 Debate schedule Debate Date Time ET Viewers Location Sponsor s Moderator s 1A June 26 2019 9 11 p m 24 3 million 15 3m live TV 9m streaming 7 Arsht Center Miami Florida 8 NBC NewsMSNBCTelemundo Jose Diaz BalartSavannah GuthrieLester HoltRachel MaddowChuck Todd 9 1B June 27 2019 9 11 p m 27 1 million 18 1m live TV 9m streaming 10 2A July 30 2019 8 10 30 p m 11 5 million 8 7m live TV 2 8m streaming Fox Theatre Detroit Michigan 11 CNN Dana BashDon LemonJake Tapper 12 2B July 31 2019 13 8 10 30 p m 13 8 million 10 7m live TV 3 1m streaming 14 3 September 12 2019 8 11 p m 14 04 million live TV 15 Health and Physical Education Arena Texas Southern University Houston Texas 16 ABC NewsUnivision Linsey DavisDavid MuirJorge RamosGeorge Stephanopoulos 17 4 October 15 2019 18 8 11 p m 8 8 million 8 34m live TV 0 45m streaming 19 Rike Physical Education Center Otterbein University Westerville Ohio CNNThe New York Times 20 Erin BurnettAnderson CooperMarc Lacey 21 5 November 20 2019 22 9 11 p m 7 9 million 6 6m live TV 1 3m streaming 23 Oprah Winfrey sound stage Tyler Perry Studios Atlanta Georgia 24 MSNBCThe Washington Post Rachel MaddowAndrea MitchellAshley ParkerKristen Welker 25 6 December 19 2019 8 11 p m 26 14 6 million 6 17m live TV 8 4m streaming 27 Gersten Pavilion Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles California 28 PBSPolitico Tim AlbertaYamiche AlcindorAmna NawazJudy Woodruff 29 7 January 14 2020 9 11 15 p m 30 11 3 million 7 3m live TV 4 0m streaming 31 Sheslow Auditorium Drake University Des Moines Iowa 32 33 CNNThe Des Moines Register Wolf BlitzerBrianne PfannenstielAbby Phillip 34 8 February 7 2020 8 10 30 p m 35 11 0 million 7 8m live TV 3 2m streaming 36 Thomas F Sullivan Arena Saint Anselm College Manchester New Hampshire 32 37 ABC NewsWMUR TVApple News Linsey DavisMonica HernandezDavid MuirAdam SextonGeorge Stephanopoulos 35 9 February 19 2020 9 11 p m 38 33 16 million 19 66m live TV 13 5m streaming 39 40 41 Le Theatre des Arts Paris Las Vegas Paradise Nevada 38 NBC NewsMSNBCTelemundoThe Nevada Independent Vanessa HaucLester HoltHallie JacksonJon RalstonChuck Todd 38 10 February 25 2020 8 10 p m 42 30 4 million 15 3m live TV 15 1m streaming 43 Gaillard Center Charleston South Carolina 32 CBS NewsBETTwitterCongressional Black Caucus Institute 44 Margaret BrennanMajor GarrettGayle KingNorah O DonnellBill Whitaker 44 11 March 15 2020 8 10 p m 45 11 4 million 10 8m live TV 0 6m streaming 46 CNN studioWashington D C 47 CNNUnivisionCongressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD Dana BashIlia CalderonJake Tapper 47 Participation edit The following is a table of participating candidates in each debate Participating candidates in the DNC sanctioned debates 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 Candidate P Present A Absent I Invited N Not invited Out Not yet entered race W Withdrawn1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Joe Biden P P P P P P P P P P PBernie Sanders P P P P P P P P P P PTulsi Gabbard P P N P P N N N N N NElizabeth Warren P P P P P P P P P P WMichael Bloomberg Out N N N P P WAmy Klobuchar P P P P P P P P P P WPete Buttigieg P P P P P P P P P P WTom Steyer Out N N P P P P P N P WDeval Patrick Out N N N WMichael Bennet P P N N N N N N WAndrew Yang P P P P P P N P WJohn Delaney P P N N N N N WCory Booker P P P P P N N WMarianne Williamson P P N N N N WJulian Castro P P P P N N WKamala Harris P P P P P WSteve Bullock N P N N N WJoe Sestak Out N N N N WWayne Messam N N N N N WBeto O Rourke P P P P WTim Ryan P P N N WBill de Blasio P P N WKirsten Gillibrand P P WSeth Moulton N N WJay Inslee P P WJohn Hickenlooper P P WMike Gravel N N WEric Swalwell P WRichard Ojeda WDebates in 2019 editFirst debates June 26 27 2019 edit Qualification edit To qualify for the first debates entrants had to at a minimum achieve one of the two criteria listed If this had resulted in more than 20 qualified candidates the two criteria would have been evaluated in combination per an outlined set of tiebreaking rules but since 20 candidates qualified no tiebreaker was necessary 57 The deadline for candidates to meet either of the below criteria was June 12 58 59 Qualification requirements for the first debatePolling criterion Attain at least 1 support in a minimum of 3 approved polls at a national level or in the first four primary caucus states Iowa New Hampshire Nevada and South Carolina The polling threshold was determined using only the published top line result whether or not it was a rounded or weighted number of polls published between January 1 2019 and June 12 2019 with each candidate only having been able to count one poll by the same pollster within each region towards the requirement For a poll to be considered it must not have been based on open ended questions 60 and also needed to have been commissioned or conducted by a limited set of organizations the Associated Press ABC News CBS News CNN The Des Moines Register Fox News the Las Vegas Review Journal Monmouth University National Public Radio NBC News The New York Times Quinnipiac University Reuters the University of New Hampshire USA Today The Wall Street Journal The Washington Post and Winthrop University Fundraising criterion Meet a fundraising threshold in which a candidate must have received donations from a minimum of 65 000 unique donors with at least 200 unique donors per state in at least 20 states Candidates who wished to qualify using the fundraising threshold must have presented evidence to the DNC of their eligibility using donor data collected by ActBlue or NGP VAN Qualified candidates for the first debate 61 62 63 64 65 as of June 12 Candidate Met donor criterion 3rd tiebreak priority Met polling criterion 2nd tiebreak priority 66 Met both criteria 1st tiebreak priority AdditionalRef s Biden Yes on April 26 Yes 37 7 10 qualifying polls Yes 67 Sanders Yes before April 1 Yes 26 7 10 qualifying polls Yes 68 Warren Yes before April 1 Yes 16 3 10 qualifying polls Yes 68 Buttigieg Yes before April 1 Yes 13 10 qualifying polls Yes 68 Harris Yes before April 1 Yes 11 10 qualifying polls Yes 68 O Rourke Yes on March 15 Yes 10 3 10 qualifying polls Yes 69 Booker Yes on May 4 Yes 4 0 10 qualifying polls Yes 70 Klobuchar Yes before April 1 Yes 3 7 10 qualifying polls Yes 71 Castro Yes on May 3 Yes 2 0 8 qualifying polls Yes 72 Yang Yes on March 11 Yes 1 7 10 qualifying polls Yes 73 Gabbard Yes on April 11 Yes 1 3 8 qualifying polls Yes 74 Gillibrand Yes on June 10 Yes 1 3 6 qualifying polls Yes 75 Inslee Yes on May 24 Yes 1 0 5 qualifying polls Yes 76 Williamson Yes on May 9 Yes 1 0 4 qualifying polls Yes 77 78 Ryan No Yes 1 3 7 qualifying polls NoHickenlooper No Yes 1 3 5 qualifying polls NoBennet No Yes 1 0 3 qualifying polls No 79 de Blasio No Yes 1 0 3 qualifying polls No 80 81 60 Delaney No Yes 1 0 3 qualifying polls NoSwalwell No Yes 1 0 3 qualifying polls NoBullock No No 2 qualifying polls No 82 60 Messam No No 1 qualifying poll NoGravel No 40 000 donors on June 1 No 0 qualifying polls No 83 84 Moulton No No 0 qualifying polls No 85 Ojeda No No 0 qualifying polls No 86 Withdrawn candidateSummary edit Democratic Party debatesFirst Democratic debatesHostNBC and MSNBCDate s June 26 2019 June 27 2019VenueArsht CenterLocationMiami FloridaLead moderatorSavannah GuthrieOther moderatorsLester HoltChuck ToddRachel MaddowJose Diaz BalartExternal videosNBC News MSNBC Democratic Debate Miami Florida June 26 2019 June 27 2019 nbsp June 26 Live Stream Recording NBC News via YouTube 87 nbsp June 27 Live Stream Recording NBC News via YouTube 88 The Democratic Party s first presidential debates ahead of the 2020 U S presidential election were held in two groups on June 26 and 27 2019 in Miami Florida Starting at 8 00 p m Eastern Standard Time they aired on NBC and were broadcast on radio by Westwood One Savannah Guthrie was the lead moderator of the debates joined by Lester Holt Chuck Todd Rachel Maddow and Jose Diaz Balart The DNC drew lots among the 20 qualified candidates for the first debate to determine whether they should debate on the first night June 26 or second night June 27 at the NBC News headquarters 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City on June 14 The qualified candidates or their representatives were present and involved at the drawing event 89 which was not televised 90 The debates took place at the Arsht Center in Miami Florida The first night of the debate was marked by a noted dust up between O Rourke and Castro on the subject of immigration which Castro was widely perceived to have won while Warren met expectations as a top tier candidate In addition Booker and Klobuchar each had their moment in the spotlight Klobuchar in particular being noted for her one liners one of which was about acknowledging that for the first time in U S history there were at least three women on stage at a presidential debate 91 92 Gabbard took on Ryan over continuing the US presence in Afghanistan 93 Booker Castro and O Rourke all spoke Spanish at different times during the debate which received mixed reception and was met with jokes from second night competitors Williamson and Yang on Twitter 94 95 On night two Harris and Biden clashed over Biden s past comments about working with segregationist senators and his stance on desegregation busing 96 The second night was also notable for the performance of Williamson who received significant attention for comments she made during the debate perceived as strange including a reference to the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern 97 98 Before these debates no major party had ever seen more than one female candidate on a presidential debate stage 99 Night one candidatesCandidates drawn for the June 26 debate Drawing tier a Polling criterion result 66 Airtime min 100 Warren 1 16 3 10 polls 9 3O Rourke 1 10 3 10 polls 10 3Booker 1 4 0 10 polls 10 9Klobuchar 1 3 7 10 polls 8 5Castro 1 2 0 8 polls 8 8Gabbard 2 1 3 8 polls 6 6Ryan 2 1 3 9 polls 7 7Inslee 2 1 7 polls 5 0de Blasio 2 1 3 polls 5 6Delaney 2 1 3 polls 6 6Average 4 2 7 9Night two candidatesCandidates drawn for the June 27 debate Drawing tier a Polling criterion result 66 Airtime min 100 Biden 1 37 7 10 polls 13 6Sanders 1 26 7 10 polls 11 0Buttigieg 1 13 10 polls 10 5Harris 1 11 10 polls 11 9Yang 2 1 7 10 polls 3 0Gillibrand 2 1 3 6 polls 7 5Hickenlooper 2 1 3 5 polls 5 2Bennet 2 1 3 polls 8 1Williamson 2 1 4 polls 5 0Swalwell 2 1 3 polls 4 3Average 9 6 8 0 Second debates July 30 31 2019 edit Qualification edit The criteria for qualifying for the second debates were the same as for the first debates 101 To qualify for the second debates debate entrants had to at minimum comply with one of the two below listed criteria 57 Mike Gravel was not invited to the debates since he only met the donor threshold which was given a lesser weight than the polling threshold 102 The deadline for candidates to meet either of the below criteria was July 16 103 Qualification requirements for the second debatePolling criterion Attain at least 1 support in a minimum of 3 approved polls at a national level or in the first four primary caucus states Iowa New Hampshire Nevada and South Carolina The polling threshold was determined using only the published top line result whether or not it was a rounded or weighted number of polls published between January 1 2019 and July 16 2019 with each candidate having only been able to count one poll by the same pollster within each region towards the requirement For a poll to be considered it must not have been based on open ended questions 60 and also needed to have been commissioned or conducted by a limited set of organizations the Associated Press ABC News CBS News CNN The Des Moines Register Fox News the Las Vegas Review Journal Monmouth University National Public Radio NBC News The New York Times Quinnipiac University Reuters the University of New Hampshire USA Today The Wall Street Journal The Washington Post and Winthrop University Fundraising criterion Meet a fundraising threshold in which a candidate must have received donations from a minimum of 65 000 unique donors with at least 200 unique donors per state in at least 20 states Candidates who wished to qualify using the fundraising threshold must have presented evidence to the DNC of their eligibility using donor data collected by ActBlue or NGP VAN Tiebreaking rules limiting the number of qualified candidates to 20 Candidates meeting both criteria had primacy over those who only met one criterion Had more than 20 candidates met both criteria only the top 20 candidates with the highest polling averages would have been invited The polling averages for candidates was calculated as the average of their three best results in any qualifying polls rounded to the nearest tenth Had multiple candidates still been tied for the 20th spot in the debates the candidates would have been further ranked by the number of approved polls in which each candidate received at least 1 support The percentages used would have been the top line number listed in the original public release from the approved sponsoring organization institution whether or not it is a rounded or weighted number If more than 20 candidates qualified by either criterion but fewer than 20 candidates qualified on the basis of both criteria and more than 20 met the polling criterion then All candidates who met both criteria would have been invited with the rest of the available slots awarded to the remaining candidates who only met the polling criterion with priority given to those with the highest polling averages and in case of equal polling averages they would have been further ranked by the number of approved polls in which each candidate received at least 1 support as calculated per the method described under rule 1 If more than 20 candidates qualified by either criterion but fewer than 20 candidates qualified on the basis of both criteria and fewer than 20 met the polling criterion then All candidates who met both criteria and all candidates who only met the polling criterion would have been invited with the rest of the available slots awarded to the remaining candidates who only met the fundraising criterion with priority given to those with the highest number of unique donors Qualified candidates for the second debate 61 62 63 64 65 as of July 12 Candidate Met donor criterion 3rd tiebreak priority Met polling criterion 2nd tiebreak priority 66 Met both criteria 1st tiebreak priority AdditionalRef s Biden Yes on April 26 Yes 40 7 19 qualifying polls Yes 67 Sanders Yes before April 1 Yes 26 7 19 qualifying polls Yes 68 Warren Yes before April 1 Yes 19 19 qualifying polls Yes 68 Harris Yes before April 1 Yes 17 7 19 qualifying polls Yes 68 Buttigieg Yes before April 1 Yes 13 3 19 qualifying polls Yes 68 O Rourke Yes on March 15 Yes 10 3 18 qualifying polls Yes 69 Booker Yes on May 4 Yes 4 3 19 qualifying polls Yes 70 Klobuchar Yes before April 1 Yes 4 0 16 qualifying polls Yes 71 Castro Yes on May 3 Yes 2 7 12 qualifying polls Yes 72 Yang Yes on March 11 Yes 2 0 18 qualifying polls Yes 73 Gabbard Yes on April 11 Yes 1 3 12 qualifying polls Yes 74 Gillibrand Yes on June 10 Yes 1 3 10 qualifying polls Yes 75 Inslee Yes on May 24 Yes 1 0 9 qualifying polls Yes 76 Williamson Yes on May 9 Yes 1 0 8 qualifying polls Yes 77 78 Hickenlooper No Yes 1 3 9 qualifying polls No 104 Ryan No Yes 1 3 9 qualifying polls NoDelaney No Yes 1 3 8 qualifying polls NoBennet No Yes 1 0 7 qualifying polls No 79 Bullock No Yes 1 0 4 qualifying polls No 82 60 105 de Blasio No Yes 1 0 4 qualifying polls No 80 81 60 Gravel Yes on July 12 No 1 qualifying poll No 106 Messam No No 2 qualifying polls NoMoulton No No 0 qualifying polls No 85 Sestak No No 0 qualifying polls NoSteyer No No 0 qualifying polls NoSwalwell No Yes 1 0 3 qualifying polls No Withdrawn candidateSummary edit Democratic Party debatesSecond Democratic debatesHostCNNDate s July 30 2019 107 July 31 2019 108 VenueFox TheatreLocationDetroit MichiganLead moderatorJake TapperOther moderatorsDana BashDon LemonThe Democratic Party s second presidential debates ahead of the 2020 U S presidential election were held on July 30 and 31 2019 in Detroit Michigan Starting at 8 00 p m Eastern Standard Time they aired on CNN and were broadcast on radio by Westwood One Jake Tapper was the lead moderator of the debates joined by Dana Bash and Don Lemon The drawing of lots among the 20 invited candidates to determine when they will debate was televised in prime time on July 18 109 There were three tiers of candidates that were split between two nights as opposed to the two tiers used in the first debates 110 In total 21 candidates qualified for the second debate The 14 candidates who met both criteria Biden Sanders Warren Harris Buttigieg O Rourke Booker Klobuchar Castro Yang Gabbard Gillibrand Inslee and Williamson and the six candidates who met the polling criterion only Ryan Hickenlooper Delaney de Blasio Bennet and Bullock were invited to participate in the debate Gravel the one candidate to qualify by the donor criterion only was not invited because of the 20 candidate limit and the polling criterion s precedence over the donor criterion as mandated by the DNC The set of participants for the second debate was identical to the first debates with one exception Bullock replaced Swalwell who suspended his campaign between the first and second debates 102 The debate on July 30 featured Bullock Buttigieg Delaney Hickenlooper Klobuchar O Rourke Ryan Sanders Warren and Williamson while the debate on July 31 featured Bennet Biden Booker Castro de Blasio Gabbard Gillibrand Harris Inslee and Yang 49 111 Both debates took place at the Fox Theatre in Detroit Michigan The overarching theme on the first night was a clash between moderates and progressives on a variety of issues ranging from Medicare for All to electability 112 CNN received criticism for allegedly inciting conflicts between candidates and making questions from Republican talking points as well as enforcing the time limits too strictly 113 The second night saw significant discussion centered on candidates differing health care plans Additionally Gabbard went on the offensive against Harris 114 115 Night one candidatesCandidates drawn for the July 30 debate Drawing tier b Polling criterion result 66 Airtime min 100 Sanders 1 27 19 polls 17 6Warren 1 19 19 polls 17 9Buttigieg 2 13 3 19 polls 14 4O Rourke 2 10 3 18 polls 10 9Klobuchar 2 4 16 polls 10 7Hickenlooper 3 1 3 9 polls 8 8Ryan 3 1 3 9 polls 9 8Delaney 3 1 3 8 polls 10 3Williamson 3 1 8 polls 8 9Bullock 3 1 4 polls 10 8Average 8 12 0Night two candidatesCandidates drawn for the July 31 debate Drawing tier b Polling criterion result 66 Airtime min 100 Biden 1 40 7 19 polls 21 2Harris 1 17 7 19 polls 17 7Booker 2 4 3 19 polls 12 8Castro 2 2 7 12 polls 10 5Yang 2 2 18 polls 8 7Gabbard 3 1 3 12 polls 10 6Gillibrand 3 1 3 10 polls 11 6Inslee 3 1 9 polls 10 7Bennet 3 1 7 polls 10 6de Blasio 3 1 4 polls 9 7Average 7 3 12 4Participation edit Each of the first two debates took place during two consecutive nights with a maximum of 10 candidates per night The DNC at a public event before each debate drew lots among the qualified candidates to determine whether they shall debate on the first or second night 116 117 This drawing procedure was designed to avoid the appearance of a kiddie table debate where the lowest polling candidates were grouped together with no leading candidates which happened during the 2016 Republican Party presidential debates 118 Third debate September 12 2019 edit Qualification edit The third debate took place at the Health and Physical Education Arena on the campus of Texas Southern University in Houston Texas For participation in the third debate candidates were required to meet both polling and fundraising criteria by August 28 in comparison to the first and second debates where only one criterion was necessary Qualifying polls had to be released between June 28 and August 28 119 Five candidates Gravel Hickenlooper Inslee Moulton and Gillibrand suspended their campaigns between the second and third debates On August 23 the Gabbard campaign criticized the DNC s purported lack of transparency in the process of selecting organizations institutions to sponsor polls and how better ranked polls were excluded The campaign also highlighted the stark reduction in poll frequency especially in early primary states 120 after the second debate compared to after the first debate and how they believed that that was particularly harmful to candidates with lower name recognition 121 The campaigns of Marianne Williamson 122 Tom Steyer 123 and Michael Bennet 124 125 also requested that the DNC increase the number of certified polls by expanding the list of certified poll sponsoring organizations Qualification requirements for the third debatePolling criterion A candidate needed to get at least two percent support in four different polls published from a list of approved pollsters between June 28 and August 28 which cannot be based on open ended questions and may cover either the national level or one of the first four primary caucus states Iowa New Hampshire Nevada and South Carolina Only one poll from each approved pollster counted towards meeting the criterion in each region The approved pollsters were the Associated Press ABC News CBS News CNN The Des Moines Register Fox News Monmouth University National Public Radio NBC News The New York Times Quinnipiac University the University of New Hampshire USA Today The Wall Street Journal The Washington Post and Winthrop University In contrast to the first two debates polls published sponsored by the Las Vegas Review Journal and Reuters no longer counted towards meeting the criterion Fundraising criterion Before the deadline 11 59 p m on August 28 a candidate needed to receive financial support from a minimum of 130 000 unique donors with at least 400 unique donors per state in at least 20 states Qualified candidates for the third debateCandidate Met donor criterion Met polling criterion as of August 28 126 Met both criteria AdditionalRef s Biden Yes before June 18 Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 127 128 Buttigieg Yes before June 14 Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 129 128 Harris Yes before June 14 Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 129 128 Sanders Yes before June 14 Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 129 128 Warren Yes before June 14 Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 129 128 Booker Yes on July 29 Yes 12 qualifying polls Yes 130 128 O Rourke Yes before June 17 Yes 10 qualifying polls Yes 131 128 Klobuchar Yes on August 2 Yes 6 qualifying polls Yes 132 Yang Yes on June 28 Yes 6 qualifying polls Yes 133 Castro Yes on July 8 Yes 5 qualifying polls Yes 134 128 Steyer Yes on August 13 No 3 qualifying polls No 135 Gabbard Yes on August 2 No 2 qualifying polls No 136 137 Williamson Yes on August 20 No 1 qualifying poll No 138 Bennet No No 0 qualifying polls No 129 139 Bullock No No 0 qualifying polls No 129 139 de Blasio No No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Delaney No No 0 qualifying polls No 129 139 Messam No No 0 qualifying polls No 129 Ryan No No 0 qualifying polls No 140 Sestak No No 0 qualifying polls NoInslee Yes on August 19 No 0 qualifying polls No 141 Gillibrand No No 1 qualifying poll No 142 133 Hickenlooper No No 1 qualifying poll No 104 Gravel No No 0 qualifying polls No 106 Moulton No No 0 qualifying polls No 129 139 Withdrawn candidateSummary edit Democratic Party debatesThird Democratic debateHostABC NewsUnivisionDate s September 12 2019VenueHealth amp Physical Education ArenaTexas Southern UniversityLocationHouston TexasLead moderatorGeorge StephanopoulosOther moderatorsDavid MuirLinsey DavisJorge RamosExternal videosABC News Univision Democratic Debate Houston Texas September 12 2019 nbsp Live Stream Recording ABC News via YouTube 143 nbsp Live Stream Recording Univision via YouTube 144 The Democratic Party s third presidential debate ahead of the 2020 U S presidential election took place on September 12 2019 in Houston Texas It aired on ABC News and Univision George Stephanopoulos was the lead moderator of the debate joined by David Muir Linsey Davis and Jorge Ramos 145 The candidates who qualified for the third debate were Biden Booker Buttigieg Castro Harris Klobuchar O Rourke Sanders Warren and Yang 50 Candidates Airtime min 146 Biden 17 4Warren 16 5Booker 14 7Sanders 14 1Harris 13 7Buttigieg 11 4Castro 11 0Klobuchar 10 4O Rourke 9 3Yang 7 9Average 12 6 Fourth debate October 15 2019 edit Qualification edit A memo released by the DNC on August 5 indicated that the qualification period for the fourth debate in October started on June 28 which was the same day that qualification began for the third debate in effect allowing all candidates who qualified for the third debate to automatically qualify for the fourth debate This gave candidates who did not qualify for the September debate more time to qualify for the October debate 147 Biden Booker Buttigieg Castro Harris Klobuchar O Rourke Sanders Warren and Yang qualified before August 22 148 while Steyer and Gabbard qualified on September 8 149 and September 24 respectively 150 The qualification deadline for the fourth debate was October 1 2019 151 One candidate de Blasio suspended his campaign between the third and fourth debates 152 Qualification requirements for the fourth debatePolling criterion A candidate needed to get at least two percent support in four different polls published from a list of approved pollsters between June 28 and October 1 which cannot be based on open ended questions and may cover either the national level or one of the first four primary caucus states Iowa New Hampshire Nevada and South Carolina Only one poll from each approved pollster counted towards meeting the criterion in each region The approved pollsters were the Associated Press ABC News CBS News CNN The Des Moines Register Fox News Monmouth University National Public Radio NBC News The New York Times Quinnipiac University the University of New Hampshire USA Today The Wall Street Journal The Washington Post and Winthrop University Fundraising criterion Before the deadline 11 59 p m on October 1 a candidate needed to receive financial support from a minimum of 130 000 unique donors with at least 400 unique donors per state in at least 20 states Qualified candidates for the fourth debateCandidate Met donor criterion Met polling criterion as of October 1 126 Met both criteria AdditionalRef s Biden Yes before June 18 Yes 22 qualifying polls Yes 127 128 Buttigieg Yes before June 14 Yes 22 qualifying polls Yes 128 Harris Yes before June 14 Yes 22 qualifying polls Yes 128 Sanders Yes before June 14 Yes 22 qualifying polls Yes 128 Warren Yes before June 14 Yes 22 qualifying polls Yes 128 Booker Yes on July 29 Yes 19 qualifying polls Yes 130 128 O Rourke Yes before June 17 Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 131 128 Yang Yes on June 28 Yes 13 qualifying polls Yes 133 Klobuchar Yes on August 2 Yes 10 qualifying polls Yes 132 Steyer Yes on August 13 Yes 10 qualifying polls Yes 135 149 Castro Yes on July 8 Yes 7 qualifying polls Yes 134 128 Gabbard Yes on August 2 Yes 4 or 5 qualifying polls Yes 128 137 150 Williamson Yes on August 20 No 1 qualifying poll No 138 Bennet No 28 000 donors on June 30 No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Bullock No 17 000 donors on June 30 No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Delaney No 8 000 donors on June 30 No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Messam No No 0 qualifying polls NoRyan No 13 000 donors on July 12 No 0 qualifying polls No 140 Sestak No No 0 qualifying polls Node Blasio No 7 000 donors on June 30 No 0 qualifying polls No 139 152 Withdrawn candidateSummary edit Democratic Party debatesFourth Democratic debateHostCNNThe New York TimesDate s October 15 2019 153 154 155 VenueRike Physical Education CenterOtterbein UniversityLocationWesterville OhioLead moderatorAnderson CooperOther moderatorsErin BurnettMarc LaceyExternal videosCNNThe New York Times Democratic Debate Westerville OhioOctober 15 2019 nbsp CNN Replay CNN via Facebook 156 nbsp full video Part 1 157 nbsp full video Part 2 158 nbsp full video Part 3 159 nbsp full video Part 4 160 nbsp full video Parts 1 2 3 4 161 The Democratic Party s fourth presidential debate was held on Tuesday October 15 2019 in Westerville Ohio 162 from 8 to 11 p m EDT 163 On September 27 the DNC announced that the debate would include all 12 candidates on one night although some had assumed it would take place on two nights since it had more than 10 participants From left to right the candidates were Gabbard who missed the previous debate Steyer in his first debate Booker Harris Sanders Biden and Warren who shared center stage Buttigieg Yang O Rourke Klobuchar and Castro Podium order for the debate was determined based on an average of the 10 most recently released qualifying polls CNN anchors Erin Burnett and Anderson Cooper and New York Times national editor Marc Lacey served as the debate moderators 164 The debate aired exclusively on CNN CNN International and CNN en Espanol and was streamed on CNN com s homepage and NYTimes com s homepage The debate also streamed live on the following Facebook Pages CNN CNN International CNN Politics CNN Replay AC360 and Erin Burnett OutFront In addition the debate was available across mobile devices via CNN s and New York Times apps for iOS and Android via CNNgo apps for Apple TV Roku Amazon Fire Chromecast and Android TV SiriusXM Channels 116 454 and 795 the Westwood One Radio Network and National Public Radio 165 The Ohio debate featured 12 candidates setting a record for the highest number of candidates in one presidential debate Candidates Airtime min 166 Warren 22 8Biden 16 7Klobuchar 13 3O Rourke 13 2Sanders 13 1Buttigieg 13 0Harris 12 4Booker 11 7Yang 8 5Castro 8 4Gabbard 8 4Steyer 7 2Average 12 4 Fifth debate November 20 2019 edit Qualification edit A memo released by the DNC on September 23 indicated that the qualification period for the November debate started on September 13 and ended on November 13 To qualify in terms of polling candidates needed to reach three percent or more in four polls approved by the DNC Alternatively reaching five percent or more in two DNC approved polls conducted in Iowa New Hampshire Nevada or South Carolina was also accepted as meeting the polling threshold To qualify in terms of donors candidates needed to receive donations from 165 000 unique donors with 600 unique donors in 20 different states territories or the District of Columbia 167 Three candidates Messam O Rourke and Ryan suspended their campaigns between the fourth and fifth debates Qualification requirements for the fifth debate 168 Four Poll Threshold A candidate needed to get at least three percent support in four different polls published from a list of approved pollsters between September 13 and November 13 which could not be based on open ended questions and may have covered either the national level or one of the first four primary caucus states Iowa New Hampshire Nevada and South Carolina Only one poll from each approved pollster counted towards meeting the threshold for each region The approved pollsters were the Associated Press ABC News The Washington Post CBS News YouGov CNN The Des Moines Register Fox News Monmouth University National Public Radio NBC News The Wall Street Journal NBC News Marist The Nevada Independent 169 The New York Times Quinnipiac University the University of New Hampshire USA Today Suffolk and Winthrop University For organizations that appear in pairs with other entities only polls conducted by the listed pairings were permitted Organizations listed individually may have partnered with any other entity or fielded polls independently Early State Polling Threshold Alternatively to the four poll threshold a candidate could have qualified with at least five percent support in any two polls from the same list of organizations and time period This threshold did not require that different organizations or regions be used but did not include national polls Fundraising criterion By the November 13 deadline a candidate needed to receive financial support from a minimum of 165 000 unique donors with at least 600 unique donors per state in at least 20 states Qualified candidates for the fifth debateCandidate Met donor criterion Met four poll criterion as of November 13 170 Met early state polling criterion as of November 14 170 Qualified for debate AdditionalRef s Biden Yes by July 3 Yes 25 qualifying polls Yes 18 qualifying polls Yes 127 128 Sanders Yes by February 20 Yes 25 qualifying polls Yes 18 qualifying polls Yes 128 171 Warren Yes by July 8 Yes 25 qualifying polls Yes 18 qualifying polls Yes 128 Buttigieg Yes by July 1 Yes 24 qualifying polls Yes 11 qualifying polls Yes 128 Harris Yes by July 5 Yes 23 qualifying polls Yes 6 qualifying polls Yes 128 172 Yang Yes by August 15 Yes 14 qualifying polls Yes 2 qualifying polls Yes 133 173 Klobuchar Yes by September 23 Yes 11 qualifying polls Yes 3 qualifying polls Yes 132 174 Gabbard Yes by August 26 Yes 5 qualifying polls Yes 2 qualifying polls Yes 175 Steyer Yes by September 23 Yes 13 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls Yes 135 149 Booker Yes by September 29 Yes 6 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls Yes 130 128 176 Castro Yes by September 23 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 134 128 177 Williamson No 140 000 donors on October 4 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 178 Bennet No 28 000 donors on June 30 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Bullock No 17 000 donors on June 30 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Delaney No 8 000 donors on June 30 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Sestak No No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls NoO Rourke Yes before June 30 No 2 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 179 128 Ryan No 13 000 donors on July 12 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 140 Messam No No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No Withdrawn candidateSummary edit Democratic Party debatesFifth Democratic debateHostMSNBCThe Washington PostDate s November 20 2019VenueOprah Winfrey Soundstage 1 24 Van Horn Rd 180 Tyler Perry StudiosLocationAtlanta GeorgiaOther moderatorsRachel MaddowAndrea MitchellKristen WelkerAshley Parker 25 The Democratic Party s fifth presidential debate was held on November 20 2019 from 9 to 11 20 p m ET 25 at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta Georgia 181 182 22 It was moderated by Rachel Maddow Andrea Mitchell Kristen Welker and Ashley Parker 25 The candidates who qualified were Biden Booker Buttigieg Gabbard Harris Klobuchar Sanders Steyer Warren and Yang 52 Candidates Airtime min 183 Warren 13 5Buttigieg 12 9Biden 12 8Sanders 11 8Booker 11 5Harris 11 5Klobuchar 11 0Gabbard 9 2Steyer 8 4Yang 6 8Sixth debate December 19 2019 edit Qualification edit A memo released by the DNC on October 25 indicated that the qualification period for the December debate started on October 16 and ended on December 12 To qualify in terms of polling candidates had to reach four percent or more in four polls approved by the DNC Alternatively reaching six percent or more in two DNC approved polls conducted in Iowa New Hampshire Nevada or South Carolina was also accepted as meeting the polling threshold To qualify in terms of donors candidates had to receive donations from 200 000 unique donors with 800 unique donors in 20 different states territories or the District of Columbia 184 Qualification requirements for the sixth debate 184 Four Poll Threshold A candidate needed at least four percent support in four different polls published from a list of approved pollsters between October 16 and December 12 which could not be based on open ended questions and covered either the national level or one of the first four primary caucus states Iowa New Hampshire Nevada and South Carolina Only one poll from each approved pollster counted towards meeting the threshold for each region The approved pollsters were the Associated Press ABC News The Washington Post CBS News YouGov CNN The Des Moines Register Fox News Monmouth University National Public Radio NBC News The Wall Street Journal NBC News Marist The Nevada Independent 169 The New York Times Quinnipiac University the University of New Hampshire USA Today Suffolk and Winthrop University For organizations that appear in pairs with other entities only polls conducted by the listed pairings were permitted Organizations listed individually could partner with any other entity or field polls independently Early State Polling Threshold Alternatively to the four poll threshold a candidate qualified with at least six percent support in any two polls from the same list of organizations and time period This threshold did not require that different organizations or regions be used but did not include national polls Fundraising criterion By the December 12 deadline a candidate needed to receive financial support from a minimum of 200 000 unique donors with at least 800 unique donors per state in at least 20 states Qualified candidates for the sixth debateCandidate Met donor criterion Met four poll criterion as of December 13 185 Met early state polling criterion as of December 13 185 Qualified for debate AdditionalRef s Biden Yes by July 3 Yes 22 qualifying polls Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 127 128 Sanders Yes by February 20 Yes 22 qualifying polls Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 128 171 Warren Yes by July 8 Yes 22 qualifying polls Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 128 Buttigieg Yes by July 1 Yes 21 qualifying polls Yes 14 qualifying polls Yes 128 186 Klobuchar Yes by October 26 Yes 8 qualifying polls No 1 qualifying poll Yes 187 188 Steyer Yes by December 3 Yes 4 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls Yes 189 Yang Yes by August 15 Yes 4 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls Yes 173 190 Gabbard Yes by November 28 No 3 qualifying polls No 1 qualifying poll No 191 192 193 Booker Yes by November 21 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 187 194 Castro Yes by December 5 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 195 Bloomberg No c No 2 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls NoWilliamson No 140 000 donors on October 4 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 178 Bennet No 28 000 donors on June 30 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Delaney No 8 000 donors on June 30 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Patrick No No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls NoHarris Yes by July 5 Yes 10 qualifying polls No 1 qualifying poll Yes 128 188 Bullock No No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls NoSestak No No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No Withdrawn candidateSummary edit Democratic Party debatesSixth Democratic debateHostPBS NewsHourPoliticoDate s December 19 2019VenueGersten PavilionLoyola Marymount UniversityLocationLos Angeles CaliforniaLead moderatorJudy WoodruffOther moderatorsTim AlbertaYamiche AlcindorAmna Nawaz 29 External videosPBS NewsHourPolitico Democratic Debate Los Angeles California December 19 2019 nbsp Live Stream Recording Politico via YouTube 198 nbsp Live Stream Recording PBS NewsHour via YouTube 199 The Democratic Party s sixth presidential debate was held on December 19 2019 at 8 p m ET 53 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles California 28 and was hosted by PBS NewsHour and Politico 200 It was initially set to be held at the University of California Los Angeles 201 However the DNC announced on November 6 that UCLA was no longer hosting the debate due to a labor dispute 202 Three candidates Sestak Bullock and Harris suspended their campaigns between the fifth and sixth Democratic debates Harris would have qualified for the sixth debate had her campaign continued Gabbard a few days before failing to qualify for the debate 53 announced on December 9 that she would not participate regardless of whether she qualifies 203 The debate aired on Politico com PBS and CNN 26 The candidates who qualified were Biden Buttigieg Klobuchar Sanders Steyer Warren and Yang 53 Highlights included an exchange between Buttigieg Warren and Sanders about campaign financing including mention of a Buttigieg fundraiser in a Napa Valley wine cave differences between Klobuchar and Buttigieg on the issue of experience and a discussion about health care between Sanders and Biden The candidates were in agreement about the impeachment of Donald Trump which had been approved by the House of Representatives the day before Sanders and Klobuchar had a disagreement about the United States Mexico Canada Agreement with the former opposed to and the latter in favor of ratification Yang the only candidate of color expressed lament that Kamala Harris and Cory Booker were absent and declared that his universal basic income proposal would diversify the field Sanders Biden and Warren parried a question about age 204 205 Steyer stated that climate change would be his top priority as president and the issue was discussed at length by all the candidates 206 207 The Chinese government censored a live feed of the debate after moderator Judy Woodruff asked Pete Buttigieg if the U S should boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing over China s alleged human rights abuses of Uyghur citizens 208 Candidates Airtime min 209 Sanders 20 5Klobuchar 19 9Warren 19 6Buttigieg 19 6Biden 15 5Steyer 11 8Yang 10 9Debates in 2020 editSeventh debate January 14 2020 edit Qualification edit A memo released by the DNC on December 20 indicated that the qualification period for the January debate started on November 14 2019 and ended on January 10 2020 A candidate needed to meet both polling and donor criteria Candidates had to reach 5 or more in four polls approved by the DNC or 7 or more in two DNC approved polls conducted in Iowa New Hampshire Nevada or South Carolina In addition candidates must have received donations from 225 000 unique donors including 1 000 unique donors in 20 different states territories or the District of Columbia 210 The candidates who qualified were Biden Buttigieg Klobuchar Sanders Steyer and Warren 54 This debate stage featured all of the candidates from the sixth debate except for Yang Steyer qualified with 2 early state polls on the penultimate day to qualify while the other five all qualified much earlier Yang and Booker met the fundraising criterion but failed to meet the polling criteria Bloomberg met polling criteria but not the fundraising criterion as he was not then asking for donations 211 Three candidates Castro Williamson and Booker suspended their campaigns between the sixth and seventh debates with Booker dropping out two days after the qualifying candidates were announced Qualification requirements for the seventh debate 212 Four Poll Threshold A candidate needed at least five percent support in four different polls published from a list of approved pollsters between November 14 2019 and January 10 2020 which could not be based on open ended questions and must have covered either the national level or one of the first four primary caucus states Iowa New Hampshire Nevada and South Carolina Only one poll from each approved pollster counts towards meeting the threshold for each region The approved pollsters were the Associated Press ABC News The Washington Post CBS News YouGov CNN The Des Moines Register Fox News Monmouth University National Public Radio NBC News The Wall Street Journal NBC News Marist The Nevada Independent Mellman Group The New York Times Quinnipiac University the University of New Hampshire USA Today Suffolk and Winthrop University For organizations that appear in pairs with other entities only polls conducted by the listed pairings are permitted Organizations listed individually can partner with any other entity or field polls independently Early State Polling Threshold Alternatively to the four poll threshold a candidate qualified with at least seven percent support in any two polls from the same list of organizations and time period This threshold did not require that different organizations or regions be used but also did not include national polls Fundraising criterion By the January 10 2020 deadline a candidate needed to receive financial support from a minimum of 225 000 unique donors with at least 1 000 unique donors per state in at least 20 states and or territories Qualified candidates for the seventh debateCandidate Met donor criterion Met four poll criterion as of January 10 2020 211 Met early state polling criterion as of January 10 2020 211 Qualified for debate AdditionalRef s Biden Yes by July 3 2019 Yes 16 qualifying polls Yes 13 qualifying polls Yes 127 128 Sanders Yes by February 20 2019 Yes 16 qualifying polls Yes 13 qualifying polls Yes 128 171 Warren Yes by July 8 2019 Yes 16 qualifying polls Yes 13 qualifying polls Yes 128 Buttigieg Yes by July 1 2019 Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 10 qualifying polls Yes 128 186 Klobuchar Yes by December 20 2019 Yes 6 qualifying polls Yes 2 qualifying polls Yes 213 Steyer Yes by January 3 2020 No 3 qualifying polls Yes 2 qualifying polls Yes 214 Bloomberg No c Yes 5 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls NoYang Yes by August 15 2019 No 2 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 173 190 Gabbard No 216 751 donors by January 4 2020 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 191 192 193 Bennet No 28 000 donors on June 30 2019 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Delaney No 8 000 donors on June 30 2019 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 139 Patrick No No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls NoBooker Yes by December 20 2019 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 187 194 Castro No 200 000 donors on December 5 2019 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 195 215 Williamson No 140 000 donors on October 4 2019 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 178 Withdrawn candidateSummary edit Democratic Party debatesSeventh Democratic debateHostCNNDes Moines RegisterDate s January 14 2020VenueDrake UniversityLocationDes Moines IowaLead moderatorWolf Blitzer 34 Other moderatorsBrianne PfannenstielAbby Phillip 34 The Democratic Party s seventh presidential debate was held from 8 to 10 15 p m CT 30 on Tuesday January 14 2020 at Drake University in Des Moines Iowa It was hosted by CNN and The Des Moines Register 32 Several sources noted an exchange between Warren and Sanders They discussed Warren s accusation that Sanders told her privately that women could not successfully win the presidency Sanders flatly denied this accusation and pointed to his deference to Warren before running for president in 2016 Warren insisted that Sanders had said women could not win and pointed out that the women on stage had not lost any election while the men on stage had lost 10 elections combined 216 At the end of the debate when candidates were shaking hands with one another Warren was seen declining a handshake from Bernie Sanders the two candidates then appeared to argue with each other It was later revealed that Warren commented to Sanders I think you called me a liar on national TV Sanders replied Let s not do it right now You want to have that discussion we ll have that discussion You called me a liar 217 Candidates Airtime min 218 Warren 18 9Sanders 17 8Klobuchar 17 6Buttigieg 16 7Biden 16 3Steyer 12 6Eighth debate February 7 2020 edit Qualification edit The qualifications for the eighth debate were similar to those for the January debate 5 nationally early states or 7 in early states this time excluding Iowa except for the added provision that all candidates who gained at least one pledged delegate in the Iowa caucus which is expected to apply only to candidates supported by at least 15 of the final votes statewide or in a district would also automatically qualify for the debate 219 Candidates had until February 6 to qualify 220 The candidates who qualified included Biden Buttigieg Klobuchar Sanders Steyer Warren and Yang 55 One candidate Delaney suspended his campaign between the seventh and eighth debates 221 Qualification requirements for the eighth debate 222 Four Poll Threshold A candidate needed at least five percent support in four different polls published from a list of approved pollsters between December 13 2019 and February 6 2020 which can not be based on open ended questions and must cover either the national level or the remaining early states of New Hampshire Nevada or South Carolina Only one poll from each approved pollster counted towards meeting the threshold for each region The approved pollsters are the Associated Press ABC News The Washington Post CBS News YouGov CNN Fox News Monmouth University National Public Radio PBS Newshour Marist NBC News The Wall Street Journal NBC News Marist The New York Times Siena College The Nevada Independent Mellman Group Quinnipiac University the University of New Hampshire USA Today Suffolk and Winthrop University For organizations that appear in pairs with other entities only polls conducted by the listed pairings are permitted Organizations listed individually can partner with any other entity or field polls independently Early State Polling Threshold Alternatively to the four poll threshold a candidate qualified with at least seven percent support in any two polls from the same list of organizations and time period in the remaining early states of New Hampshire Nevada or South Carolina This threshold does not require that different organizations or regions be used but also does not include national polls Fundraising criterion By the February 6 2020 deadline a candidate needed to receive financial support from a minimum of 225 000 unique donors with at least 1 000 unique donors per state in at least 20 states and or territories Delegate Threshold A candidate will automatically qualify if he or she gained at least one pledged delegate from Iowa for the Democratic National Convention even if no other requirements are met Because the opinions of Iowa voters are included in this way polls of Iowa can no longer be considered qualifying under either the Four Poll Threshold or the Early State Polling Threshold Qualified candidates for the eighth debateCandidate Met donor criterion Met four poll criterion as of February 7 2020 223 Met early state polling criterion as of February 7 2020 223 Met delegate threshold 224 Qualified for debate AdditionalRef s Buttigieg Yes by July 1 2019 Yes 14 qualifying polls Yes 6 qualifying polls Yes 14 delegates Yes 128 186 Sanders Yes by February 20 2019 Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 8 qualifying polls Yes 12 delegates Yes 128 171 Warren Yes by July 8 2019 Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 8 qualifying polls Yes 8 delegates Yes 128 Biden Yes by July 3 2019 Yes 15 qualifying polls Yes 8 qualifying polls Yes 6 delegates Yes 127 128 Klobuchar Yes by December 20 2019 Yes 8 qualifying polls Yes 3 qualifying polls Yes 1 delegate Yes 213 Steyer Yes by January 3 2020 No 3 qualifying polls Yes 3 qualifying polls No 0 delegates Yes 214 Yang Yes by August 15 2019 Yes 6 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates Yes 173 225 Bloomberg No c Yes 7 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates NoGabbard Yes by January 26 2020 No 2 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates No 225 Bennet No 28 000 donors on June 30 2019 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates No 139 Patrick No No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates NoDelaney No 8 000 donors on June 30 2019 No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates No 226 Withdrawn candidateSummary edit Democratic Party debatesEighth Democratic debateHostABC NewsWMUR TVApple NewsDate s February 7 2020VenueSaint Anselm CollegeLocationManchester New HampshireOther moderatorsLinsey DavisMonica HernandezDavid MuirAdam SextonGeorge StephanopoulosExternal videosABC News Democratic Debate Manchester New Hampshire February 7 2020 nbsp Live Stream Recording ABC News via YouTube 227 The Democratic Party s eighth presidential debate was held from 8 10 30 p m ET 35 on Friday February 7 2020 at Saint Anselm College in Manchester New Hampshire It was hosted by ABC s New Hampshire affiliate WMUR TV and Apple News 228 Emerging as frontrunners after the Iowa caucuses Buttigieg and Sanders came under attack by other candidates Klobuchar questioned Buttigieg on his lack of political experience whereas Biden pressed Sanders to clarify how he would fund Medicare For All and brought up his past stances on gun control citing Sanders s votes against the Brady Bill in the 1990s Moderator Linsey Davis also inquired Buttigieg on the rise in marijuana related incarcerations of African Americans in South Bend during his tenure as mayor which he attributed to systemic racism Candidates also voiced praise for Senator Mitt Romney of Utah who was the only Republican senator to vote against Donald Trump s acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial two days earlier and Lt Col Alexander Vindman who was fired from the National Security Council by Trump after serving as a key witness on the trial 229 On the topic of campaign finance Elizabeth Warren stated that political action committees had assisted all of the non billionaire candidates except for Amy Klobuchar and herself Another prominent issue discussed in the debate was abortion with several candidates pledging to only support Supreme Court nominees who will uphold abortion rights and pushed for the codification of Roe v Wade 230 Candidates Airtime min 231 Sanders 20 1Biden 19 6Buttigieg 18 5Klobuchar 16 5Warren 15 9Steyer 13 9Yang 8 1 Ninth debate February 19 2020 edit Qualification edit The DNC announced on January 31 that it was eliminating the donor threshold as a debate qualification requirement for any debate following the New Hampshire debate on February 7 232 which prompted criticism from several candidates as it was perceived to accommodate Bloomberg who is not accepting individual donations The polling thresholds were drastically increased since the last debate with candidates now having to reach 10 in DNC approved national polls or 12 in early state polls conducted in Nevada and South Carolina Candidates who won at least one pledged delegate in the Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary were automatically qualified for the debate Candidates had until February 18 to qualify 233 The candidates who qualified included Biden Bloomberg Buttigieg Klobuchar Sanders and Warren Three candidates Yang Bennet and Patrick suspended their campaigns between the eighth and ninth debates 56 Qualification requirements for the ninth debate 234 235 Four Poll Threshold A candidate needed at least ten percent support in four different polls published from a list of approved pollsters between January 15 and February 18 2020 which could not be based on open ended questions and must have covered either the national level or the remaining early states of Nevada or South Carolina Only one poll from each approved pollster counted towards meeting the threshold for each region The approved pollsters were the Associated Press ABC News The Washington Post CBS News YouGov CNN Fox News Monmouth University National Public Radio NBC News The Wall Street Journal NBC News Marist The New York Times The Nevada Independent Mellman Group Quinnipiac University USA Today Suffolk and Winthrop University For organizations that appear in pairs with other entities only polls conducted by the listed pairings were permitted Organizations listed individually could partner with any other entity or field polls independently Additionally the DNC elected to add the Nevada poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Review Journal and AARP Nevada and fielded by WPA Intelligence 42 Early State Polling Threshold Alternatively to the four poll threshold a candidate theoretically could have qualified with at least twelve percent support in any two polls from the same list of organizations and time period in either of the remaining early states Nevada or South Carolina This threshold does not require that different organizations or regions be used but also does not include national polls However no poll from the original list of qualifying organizations in either Nevada or South Carolina was published during the qualifying period 236 With only the single poll of Nevada added by the DNC available as an early state poll meeting the early state threshold was impossible Delegate Threshold A candidate could also automatically qualify if he or she gained at least one pledged delegate from Iowa or New Hampshire for the Democratic National Convention even if no other requirements were met Qualified candidates for the ninth debateCandidate Met four poll criterion 236 Met early state polling criterion not applicable only 1 poll 236 Met delegate threshold 224 237 Qualified for debate AdditionalRef s Buttigieg Yes 5 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls Yes 23 delegates YesSanders Yes 8 qualifying polls No 1 qualifying poll Yes 21 delegates YesWarren Yes 8 qualifying polls No 1 qualifying poll Yes 8 delegates YesKlobuchar No 1 qualifying poll No 0 qualifying polls Yes 7 delegates YesBiden Yes 8 qualifying polls No 1 qualifying poll Yes 6 delegates YesBloomberg Yes 5 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates YesSteyer No 1 qualifying poll No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates No 42 Gabbard No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates NoBennet No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates NoPatrick No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates NoYang No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates No Withdrawn candidateSummary edit Democratic Party debatesNinth Democratic debateHostNBC NewsMSNBCThe Nevada IndependentDate s February 19 2020VenueParis Las VegasLocationParadise NevadaOther moderatorsVanessa HaucLester HoltHallie JacksonJon RalstonChuck ToddExternal videosNBC News MSNBC Democratic Debate Las Vegas Nevada February 20 2020 nbsp Live Stream Recording NBC News via YouTube 238 The Democratic Party s ninth presidential debate was held from 6 8 p m PST 239 on Wednesday February 19 2020 at Paris Las Vegas in Paradise Nevada It was hosted by NBC News and MSNBC in partnership with The Nevada Independent 228 Bloomberg who made his debate stage debut after qualifying only a day prior 240 was widely regarded by multiple news outlets as having performed poorly 241 242 Bloomberg s political and personal record came under heavy scrutiny by other candidates including his previous support of stop and frisk policies during his tenure as mayor of New York City The controversial program which disproportionately targeted racial minorities was referred to by Biden as abhorrent and a violation of every right people have 243 Warren reprimanded Bloomberg for his recently resurfaced derogatory comments on women and called for him to rescind the non disclosure agreements he signed with several of his company s former female employees over sexual harassment and workplace discrimination accusing Bloomberg of attempting to muzzle them 244 Sanders s electability was also brought up in the debate when moderator Lester Holt mentioned the findings of a recent NBC News Wall Street Journal poll which showed that two thirds of American voters would not be comfortable with a socialist presidential candidate Sanders retorted by touting his wide lead over other candidates in the same poll 245 246 Bloomberg criticized Sanders s advocacy of democratic socialism by comparing it to communism which Sanders dismissed as a cheap shot arguing that his economic policies were closer to Nordic social democracy 247 248 Buttigieg meanwhile branded both Sanders and Bloomberg as polarizing figures who would further divide the party if one of them were to receive the nomination 249 Healthcare was another issue discussed by the candidates in light of the Culinary Workers Union s recent criticism that Sanders s Medicare for All policy would replace their existing union healthcare in favor of a government plan 250 In response Sanders defended his plan by saying that it would expand rather than take away healthcare benefits for union members 251 Warren attacked Buttigieg and Klobuchar on their more moderate healthcare plans likening their lack of details to a PowerPoint presentation and Post it Note respectively 252 On the other hand Klobuchar argued that Sanders s Medicare for All proposal would be too radical to garner enough support in the Senate whereas Buttigieg expressed disapproval at the idea of letting the government decide what healthcare plan is best for unions calling it condescension and arrogance 253 The televised debate drew a combined 19 7 million viewers on NBC and MSNBC making it the most watched Democratic primary debate of all time 254 Candidates Airtime min 255 Warren 16 6Klobuchar 15 9Sanders 15 4Buttigieg 14 8Biden 13 4Bloomberg 13 0Tenth debate February 25 2020 edit Qualification edit The qualification criteria remained largely unchanged from the last debate with candidates having to either garner at least 10 support in DNC approved national polls or 12 in early state polls conducted in the remaining state of South Carolina in order to meet the polling threshold Candidates could also qualify via the delegate threshold by winning at least one pledged delegate in Iowa New Hampshire or Nevada The qualification deadline for the debate was February 24 256 All candidates still in the race at the time Biden Bloomberg Buttigieg Klobuchar Sanders Steyer and Warren except for Gabbard qualified for the debate 257 Qualification requirements for the tenth debate 42 258 Four Poll Threshold A candidate will need at least ten percent support in four different polls published from a list of approved pollsters between February 4 2020 and February 24 2020 which can not be based on open ended questions and must cover either the national level or the remaining early state of South Carolina Only one poll from each approved pollster counts towards meeting the threshold for each region The approved pollsters are the Associated Press ABC News The Washington Post CBS News YouGov CNN Fox News Monmouth University National Public Radio NBC News The Wall Street Journal NBC News Marist The New York Times Quinnipiac University USA Today Suffolk and Winthrop University For organizations that appear in pairs with other entities only polls conducted by the listed pairings are permitted Organizations listed individually can partner with any other entity or field polls independently The DNC may choose to add an additional South Carolina specific poll sponsor to this list Early State Polling Threshold Alternatively to the four poll threshold a candidate will qualify with at least twelve percent support in any two polls from the same list of organizations and time period in the remaining early state South Carolina This threshold does not require that different organizations or regions be used but also does not include national polls Delegate Threshold A candidate will automatically qualify if he or she gains at least one pledged delegate from any of the three preceding early states of Iowa New Hampshire or Nevada for the Democratic National Convention even if no other requirements are met Qualified candidates for the tenth debateCandidate Met four poll criterion as of February 24 2020 259 Met early state polling criterion as of February 24 2020 259 Met delegate threshold 224 237 260 Qualified for debate AdditionalRef s Sanders Yes 9 qualifying polls d Yes 3 qualifying polls Yes 45 delegates YesButtigieg Yes 5 qualifying polls e No 0 qualifying polls Yes 26 delegates YesBiden Yes 9 qualifying polls d Yes 3 qualifying polls Yes 15 delegates YesWarren Yes 7 qualifying polls f No 1 qualifying poll Yes 8 delegates YesKlobuchar No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls Yes 7 delegates YesBloomberg Yes 6 qualifying polls g No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates YesSteyer No 3 qualifying polls h Yes 3 qualifying polls No 0 delegates Yes 261 Gabbard No 0 qualifying polls No 0 qualifying polls No 0 delegates NoSummary edit Democratic Party debatesTenth Democratic debateHostCBS NewsCongressional Black Caucus InstituteDate s February 25 2020VenueGaillard CenterLocationCharleston South CarolinaOther moderatorsMargaret BrennanMajor GarrettGayle KingNorah O DonnellBill WhitakerExternal videosCBS News Democratic Debate Charleston South Carolina February 25 2020 nbsp Live Stream Recording CBS News via YouTube 262 The Democratic Party s tenth presidential debate was held from 8 10 p m ET on Tuesday February 25 2020 at the Gaillard Center in Charleston South Carolina It was hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute in partnership with Twitter and aired on CBS and BET 228 Following his landslide victory in Nevada the prior week Sanders was targeted by several other candidates who attempted to dampen his momentum going into the upcoming South Carolina and Super Tuesday primaries Biden hit Sanders on the issue of gun control by drawing a contrast between Sanders s voting record and his own noting that he was a consistent supporter of more stringent gun regulations throughout his Senate career Biden highlighted his role in passing legislation to expand universal background checks and extend waiting periods for purchasing guns while pointing out that Sanders previously had a relatively moderate stance on gun control voting against the Brady Bill and in favor of the PLCAA during his tenure as a congressman 263 However his claim that 150 million people have been killed since 2007 by guns was fact checked by CNN as being incorrect with a Biden campaign spokesperson suggesting that he might have intended to say 150 000 264 Sanders expressed regret at his decisions admitting that he has cast thousands of votes including bad votes and noted that he currently has a D minus rating from the National Rifle Association 265 Foreign policy was extensively discussed by the candidates which took up about 25 minutes of the debate 266 Sanders and Bloomberg clashed over past comments they have made regarding foreign authoritarian leaders Bloomberg emphasized recent allegations that Russian President Vladimir Putin was trying to prop up the Sanders campaign 267 When Sanders s praise for Fidel Castro s literacy programs in Cuba on 60 Minutes was brought up by Bloomberg Sanders responded by calling out Bloomberg s refusal to call China s paramount leader Xi Jinping a dictator in an interview 268 and pointed out that Barack Obama had also previously praised Cuba s healthcare and education This provoked a reaction from Biden who said that while Obama did acknowledge Cuba s progress in increasing life expectancy during a 2016 town hall he did not in any way suggest that there was anything positive about the Cuban government and proceeded to condemn the dictatorial regime 269 The debate moderators received staunch criticism for focusing too much on narrowly focused policy issues failure to keep control of the candidates speaking times allowing candidates to interrupt other candidates during their allotted speaking times applying the debate rules regarding giving candidates time to respond to personal attacks in a non equitable way and for permitting the audience to boo and jeer certain candidates without consequence Both Biden and Sanders criticized the moderators on stage for failing to enforce the debate rules 270 271 The crowd s negative reception of Sanders led to the proliferation of rumors on social media that the debate audience had been stacked against him pointing to the high entry costs which ranged from 1 750 to 3 200 as evidence The Democratic National Committee has denied this claim explaining that the debate tickets were allocated among political organizations DNC CBCI and SCDP and media entities CBS and Twitter hosting the debate as well as participating candidates campaigns with each campaign being given an equal quota Tickets were guaranteed to sponsors and the ticket costs referred to the cost of sponsorship 272 Candidates Airtime min 273 Sanders 15 5Bloomberg 13 6Klobuchar 13 4Warren 12 9Biden 12 6Buttigieg 11 6Steyer 7 1Eleventh debate March 15 2020 edit Democratic Party debatesEleventh Democratic debateHostCNNUnivisionCongressional Hispanic CaucusDate s March 15 2020 274 VenueCNN studio 47 LocationWashington D C Lead moderatorJake Tapper 47 Other moderatorsDana BashIlia Calderon 47 External videosCNN Univision Congressional Hispanic Caucus Democratic Debate Washington D C March 15 2020 nbsp full video Part 1 275 nbsp full video Part 2 276 nbsp full video Part 3 277 nbsp full video Part 4 278 nbsp full video Part 5 279 nbsp full video Part 6 280 CNN Univision and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus hosted the eleventh debate in Washington D C from 8 P M to 10 P M Eastern Time 281 Five candidates Steyer Buttigieg Klobuchar Bloomberg and Warren suspended their campaigns between the tenth and eleventh debates 282 283 284 285 286 On March 6 the DNC announced that qualification would be based on earning at least 20 percent of delegates awarded by March 15 287 as calculated by the Associated Press or CNN 288 The Democratic National Committee announced on March 10 that the debate would no longer allow a live audience nor would press beyond CNN and Univision be allowed to attend due to fears about the spread of the coronavirus 289 On March 12 the Democratic National Committee announced that the March 15 debate originally scheduled to take place at the Arizona Federal Theatre 290 in Phoenix Arizona would instead be held at CNN s studio in Washington D C 291 It also announced that Jorge Ramos was no longer a moderator because he had contact with a person with coronavirus 47 Qualification edit Qualified candidates for the eleventh debateCandidate 20 delegate threshold Qualifiedfor debate AdditionalRef s AP 292 CNN 293 Biden Yes 890 delegates Yes 809 delegates Yes 287 Sanders Yes 736 delegates Yes 666 delegates Yes 287 Gabbard No 2 delegates No 2 delegates No 294 Warren No 71 delegates No 44 delegates NoBloomberg No 61 delegates No 24 delegates NoButtigieg No 26 delegates No 26 delegates NoKlobuchar No 7 delegates No 7 delegates NoSteyer No 0 delegates No 0 delegates No Withdrawn candidateSummary edit The debate was primarily focused on the COVID 19 pandemic which was discussed for 17 minutes and 45 seconds with Biden claiming the Trump administration rejected test kits from the WHO 295 296 Both candidates also compared the pandemic to that of the Ebola epidemic Cancelled twelfth debate editIn an interview with Politico regarding the March 15 debate a DNC official confirmed a twelfth debate was still being planned 297 Two candidates Gabbard and Sanders suspended their campaigns between the eleventh and twelfth debates leaving Biden as the only remaining major candidate 298 299 Prior to suspending his campaign Sanders stated that he planned to participate in the debate 300 Biden dismissed the idea however My focus is just dealing with this crisis right now I haven t thought about any more debates I think we ve had enough debates I think we should get on with this 301 It is likely that the debate would have been hosted in an East Coast location such as New York City 302 On April 8 2020 Sanders dropped out of the Democratic primary leaving Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee In early June 2020 Biden passed the threshold of 1 991 delegates to gain the nomination at the 2020 Democratic National Convention 303 304 305 Incidents and controversies editClimate change debate edit On April 22 2019 Jay Inslee proposed that the DNC dedicate one of its presidential debates to climate change 306 giving candidates a chance to elaborate in full detail on how they intend to implement climate action and achieve the goals presented by the Green New Deal a progressive climate resolution proposed by Democratic members of the House of Representatives 307 Recent polls of both Democratic voters and the electorate in general had identified this topic to be of the highest importance for example a CNN poll 308 found 80 of Democrats wanted presidential candidates to make climate change a top priority and a Morning Consult poll 309 of registered voters nationwide found that 63 said it s either important or a top priority for Congress to pass a bill to address climate change Despite support from seven other candidates Bernie Sanders Elizabeth Warren Kirsten Gillibrand Julian Castro Michael Bennet John Delaney 310 and Seth Moulton 311 several progressive and environmental groups Sierra Club CREDO Action Sunrise Movement Friends of the Earth Action Public Citizen 350 Action MoveOn Youth Climate Strike at least two dozen Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate 307 and over 52 000 signatories of a petition 312 the DNC turned down the idea of limiting some of their debates to only one debate topic 313 2 On June 29 2019 however the DNC referred to a committee a proposal calling for an official debate on climate change 314 On August 22 the resolutions committee voted to reject the proposal 315 Steve Bullock s qualification for first debate edit After Steve Bullock received 1 in an open ended ABC News The Washington Post poll controversy arose as the DNC s official qualification rules published on February 14 and updated on May 9 57 did not state whether open ended polls would count towards qualification The DNC later stated during rule guidance given on June 10 and 11 103 that polls based on open ended questions will not be considered This additional rule was initially orally communicated between DNC chairman Tom Perez and the Bullock campaign in March 2019 and was only publicly confirmed via a statement to a Politico reporter on June 6 60 but was never confirmed in writing by any primary DNC sources ahead of the qualification deadline 316 On June 12 the Bullock campaign wrote a certification letter to the DNC claiming that Bullock qualified for participation in the first debate through the polling criteria as they believed the open ended poll from ABC News The Washington Post should be counted as Bullock s third qualifying poll according to the official published rules 317 If Bullock had been deemed a qualifying candidate by the DNC then 21 total candidates would have qualified by the polling criteria However the DNC explicitly limited the debate stage to 20 candidates so that would have triggered tiebreak rules Bullock and Eric Swalwell were tied for the 20th spot with each candidate having 1 polling averages and three qualifying polls with exactly 1 support In that scenario the DNC would have had to accept inviting 21 candidates or invent a supplementing final tiebreak rule for example drawing lots for the last spot or deciding the tie by their number of unique donors 316 However Bullock s certification letter was rejected and he failed to qualify for the first debate 48 though he qualified for the second debate 105 Debate protests edit Second debate protest edit On the second night of the second debate protesters motivated by the death of Eric Garner and the continued employment of Staten Island police officer Daniel Pantaleo shouted during Bill de Blasio s opening remarks and then entirely halted Cory Booker s disrupting the debate for nearly 30 seconds 318 Third debate protest edit During the closing statements for the third debate in which candidates were asked to recall moments of resilience after a professional setback protesters interrupted Joe Biden for approximately two minutes According to Jess Davidson they shouted we are DACA recipients our lives are at risk 319 The Trump campaign accused the protesters of having insensitive timing 320 Ninth debate protest edit Immigrant rights protestors interrupted Biden s closing statement 321 Tenth debate protest edit Some people in the audience of the tenth debate booed candidates 322 Tulsi Gabbard disputes with DNC edit Pollster selection and poll frequency edit On August 23 Gabbard s campaign protested the failure of the DNC to release their criteria for selecting the 16 polling organizations they deem certified for qualifying candidates for the third debate 323 In the campaign s statement they listed 26 polls in which Gabbard reached the 2 threshold and alleged that certain DNC certified polls were rated lower than non certified polls by organizations such as the American Research Group and FiveThirtyEight and questioned why only four qualifying polls were released following the second debate while fourteen were released following the first debate and why only two polls were released in the first two weeks after the second debate while six polls were released in the first two weeks after the first debate 121 324 The campaign further argued that the lack of polling was particularly harmful to candidates with lower name recognition 121 They called on the DNC to revise the set of polls it considers for qualifying and also asked them to hold true to their promise and make adjustments to the process now to ensure transparency and fairness 325 326 Several other campaigns including those of Michael Bennet Tom Steyer and Marianne Williamson also criticized the unclear criteria and overall lack of qualifying polls 326 327 328 Qualifying polls for October debate edit On September 8 a The Washington Post ABC News poll was released An initial report from ABC claimed that Gabbard had not received the 2 necessary for the poll to count as a qualifying poll but the Gabbard campaign announced that she had indeed received the 2 necessary for the poll to count as a qualifying poll citing The Washington Post figures directly 329 330 To further complicate matters FiveThirtyEight claimed that it had received confirmation from the DNC that the poll did not count for Gabbard but the Gabbard campaign countered by stating that no official DNC ruling had been delivered 331 332 333 The confusion stemmed from the fact that the poll data was presented with two sets of results one of all adults and one of registered voters Gabbard reached 1 among all adults and 2 among registered voters An approved poll conducted on July 1 was conducted similarly but it is unclear which category was used for the qualification for the debates as no candidate had 2 in one category and 1 in the other 334 126 Gabbard later reached 2 in two other qualifying polls allowing her to qualify for the fourth debate 150 Threatened boycotts edit On October 10 Gabbard threatened to boycott the fourth debate saying that she believed the DNC and the media were rigging the election 335 On October 14 Gabbard announced that she would be attending the debate 336 On December 9 Gabbard announced that she would boycott the sixth debate and that instead she would be prioritizing campaigning in New Hampshire and South Carolina 337 She failed to qualify for the sixth debate by the deadline December 12 338 Eleventh debate qualification edit On March 3 as Super Tuesday results were announced DNC communications director Xochitl Hinojosa tweeted that the qualification threshold would likely increase giving the reason that almost 2 000 delegates would have been allocated by the time of the debate 339 This tweet was sent after Gabbard apparently received a delegate and would qualify for the March debate per the previous three debates threshold of one delegate 340 She later gained another delegate 341 On March 6 the DNC confirmed that the single qualification for entry to the eleventh debate would be for a candidate to have earned at least 20 percent of awarded delegates by March 15 342 The threshold was impossible for her to meet to qualify for the eleventh debate 294 Andrew Yang disputes edit Microphone complaints in first debate edit Yang along with Marianne Williamson and Eric Swalwell complained of microphone problems not allowing them to speak unless called upon when other candidates seemed to be able to freely interject at all times NBC responded by stating that none of the candidates microphones were turned off or muted 343 Yang qualification for third debate edit After Yang had received what he considered to be his fourth qualifying poll the DNC revealed that qualifying polls conducted by different organizations would not be counted separately if they were sponsored by the same DNC approved sponsor The ruling was controversially disclosed by the DNC on July 30 less than one day after Yang had obtained 2 in four polls rather than on July 19 when the second of these polls had been completed 344 In spite of this Yang qualified for the third debate 50 Yang disputes with MSNBC edit In the fifth debate Yang did not receive his first question until 32 minutes into the debate and spoke for considerably less time than all the other participants 345 Yang and his supporters criticized the network for what they saw as an undemocratic process 346 MSNBC asked Yang to join an unspecified program the weekend of November 24 but Yang said he would not appear until the network apologizes on air and discusses and includes his campaign consistent with his polling 347 Yang ended his boycott on December 27 by going on the TV show All in with Chris Hayes stating I decided that I d prefer to speak to as many Americans as possible our message is too important on Twitter 348 Yang qualification for seventh debate edit Yang requested for the DNC to conduct more early state polls in December due to a lack of early state polling by qualifying pollsters The DNC rejected this idea saying that conducting its own polls would call into question its impartiality 349 Sixth debate labor disputes edit The sixth debate was initially set to be held at the University of California Los Angeles 201 However the DNC announced on November 6 that UCLA was no longer hosting the debate due to a labor dispute 202 Due to a Sodexo worker strike at the new venue Loyola Marymount University Warren announced that she would not attend the debate unless the labor dispute was resolved followed soon after by Sanders and Yang All of the remaining qualifying candidates Biden Buttigieg Klobuchar and Steyer then followed suit over the next several days 350 351 The dispute was resolved on December 17 allowing the debate to move forward 352 2020 debates rule change petition edit Days before the December 2019 debate for which Booker did not qualify he sent a petition to the other candidates campaigns in which he urged the DNC to change the qualification requirements for the upcoming debates in 2020 so that more non white candidates could participate All candidates that qualified for the December debate as well as Castro signed the petition The DNC rejected the request to change the qualification criteria 353 354 The petition cites the New Hampshire Democratic Party central committee which voted to urge the DNC to lift the barriers on participation in further debates 355 Seventh debate moderation controversies edit During the seventh Democratic debate January 14 hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register the wording of a series of questions from moderator Abby Phillip directed at senators Sanders and Warren drew criticisms from various other news outlets and from Sanders supporters Following reports alleging that Sanders said to Warren in a 2018 private conversation that he did not believe that a woman could defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election Sanders was given the question Senator Warren confirmed in a statement that in 2018 you told her that you did not believe that a woman could win the election Why did you say that Sanders stated in his reply as a matter of fact I didn t say it and received the follow up question from Phillip I do want to be clear here you re saying that you never told Senator Warren that a woman could not win the election to which Sanders replied That is correct Phillip s next question was directed at Warren and was phrased Senator Warren what did you think when Senator Sanders told you a woman could not win the election 356 357 MSNBC hosts Mika Brzezinski and Donny Deutsch the next day on Morning Joe criticized the question describing it as bizarre and a miss respectively 358 Senior reporter at HuffPost Zach Carter stated that he believes CNN botched the debate 359 and Matt Taibi from Rolling Stone described the moderation as shameful and villainous 360 Jeet Heer from The Nation commented that CNN was the biggest loser of the night 361 Washington Examiner senior commentary writer Becket Adams described Phillip s question as a hatchet job 362 The controversy also led to negative reactions on social media 363 Michael Bloomberg s debate inclusion edit In January Michael Bloomberg became the only candidate to simultaneously reach the polling threshold and fail to reach the donor threshold since the DNC began requiring both with the third debate According to Politico some left wing activists questioned whether the donor threshold should remain part of the qualification requirements 364 asserting that a candidate polling in the high single or low double digits should not be able to escape in person scrutiny from other candidates who participate in the debates DNC debate qualification rules change edit On January 31 the DNC announced that it would not impose a donor threshold starting with the ninth debate 232 DNC spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated that the prior rules were appropriate for the opening stages of the race when candidates were building their organizations and there were no metrics available outside of polling to distinguish those making progress from those who weren t 365 She said the DNC always had planned to change the debate qualification thresholds and that we signaled it many times She argued that the rule change was not designed to benefit any one candidate and declared that every candidate has an equal opportunity to qualify 366 Other candidates reactions to Bloomberg s inclusion edit Four candidates opposed the DNC s changing the rules allegedly to make sure Bloomberg qualifies for the debates Sanders senior adviser Jeffrey P Weaver stated that the rules changing in the middle of the game was wrong and the definition of a rigged system He also complained that Bloomberg is trying to buy his way into the Democratic nomination 365 Warren tweeted referencing Bloomberg s personal wealth that b illionaires shouldn t be allowed to play by different rules She further objected that the DNC failed to change the debate qualification rules to ensure diverse candidates could remain on the debate stage 367 Biden responded to a question about the issue by pointing out that Bloomberg is not even on the ballot in Nevada the location of the first debate where Bloomberg qualified 368 Tulsi Gabbard remarked that The DNC s and corporate media partners playing favorites with candidates is wrong 369 and that t he DNC would rather hear from a billionaire than the only person of color left in this race the first female combat veteran ever to run for president 370 On the other hand two of the candidates welcomed Bloomberg s inclusion Buttigieg told reporters It is important that we have that process where folks have to stand with their competitors and explain why each of us is the best 371 Klobuchar took it a bit further and stated that he should have to answer questions and not hide behind the airwaves She claimed that although she could not beat him on the airwaves she could beat him in a debate 372 Criticisms about the tenth debate edit Alleged influence efforts by Bloomberg edit There were accusations online and in the media that Bloomberg had stacked the audience in his favor though nothing was ever proven The high ticket prices to the event were also heavily condemned 373 A 60 second ad for Bloomberg s campaign played during the first and second commercial breaks drawing ire especially online 374 Moderation edit CBS was also widely criticized for doing a poor job of moderating the debate and letting candidates talk over each other often leading to 10 20 seconds of unintelligible shouting 375 376 Criticisms about the eleventh debate edit Announcement of change from prior format edit Following Super Tuesday the DNC and CNN announced that the eleventh debate would occur in a seated format with a more intimate setting and a town hall style production featuring audience questions instead of the traditional format of the prior debates led by formal moderator questioning 377 This announcement was opposed by the Sanders campaign as giving Biden too much of a break and avoiding an exchange of ideas 377 as well as criticized by commentators 378 These concerns became moot after the coronavirus pandemic forced the debate to be changed to the traditional moderator questioning format without any audience 47 Notes edit a b The drawing of lots happened from two tier groups with the top tier comprising all qualified candidates with a polling average of over 2 and the other tier comprising the rest so that each tier was evenly split between each of the two debate nights 89 a b The drawing of lots happened from three tier groups with the top tier comprising all qualified candidates with a polling average of over 15 so that each tier was evenly split between each of the two debate nights a b c Bloomberg is not collecting donations 196 To avoid being classified as receiving donations the Bloomberg campaign reportedly sells campaign merchandise at its cost preempting against the possibility of meeting the donor criterion 197 a b 6 from national 3 from South Carolina 4 from national 1 from South Carolina 6 from national 1 from South Carolina 6 from national 3 from South CarolinaReferences edit DNC announces framework for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary debates December 20 2018 Democratic National Committee December 20 2018 Archived from the original on January 14 2019 Retrieved December 20 2018 a b Perez Tom June 11 2018 Climate Change and the 2020 Debates Medium Archived from the original on June 12 2019 Retrieved June 12 2018 Fahri Paul March 6 2019 Democratic National Committee rejects Fox News for debates citing New Yorker article The Washington Post Archived from the original on March 6 2019 Retrieved March 6 2019 Nielsen Ella May 11 2019 How DNC Chair Tom Perez plans to avoid the chaos of the GOP s 2016 debates Vox Retrieved May 17 2019 Laslo Matt March 7 2019 Fox News is key to the 2020 election whether liberals like it or not Denying it a debate only hurts Democrats NBC News Archived from the original on March 7 2019 Retrieved March 8 2019 Gontcharova Natalie May 31 2019 Exclusive DNC Requires Female Moderators At Every 2020 Debate Refinery29 Retrieved June 7 2019 Patten Dominic June 27 2019 Democratic Debate Night 1 Gets 15 3M Viewers Across NBC MSNBC amp Telemundo 9M Watch Via Streaming Update Deadline Hollywood Retrieved June 27 2019 Seitz Wald Alex May 10 2019 First Democratic presidential debate set for Miami s Arsht Center host NBC News announces NBC News Retrieved May 13 2019 Smith Allan NBC announces five moderators for first Democratic debate NBC News No June 11 2019 Retrieved June 11 2019 Oprysko Caitlin June 28 2019 Thursday s debate ratings shatter previous Dem record NBC says Politico Retrieved June 28 2019 Spangler Todd June 11 2019 Detroit s Fox Theatre will host Democratic presidential debates in July Detroit Free Press Retrieved June 11 2019 Zhou Li July 30 2019 3 CNN correspondents will moderate the second Democratic debate Vox Retrieved February 12 2020 Cole Devan April 2 2019 CNN s 2020 Democratic debate set for July 30 31 in Detroit CNN Retrieved May 13 2019 Quint Forgey August 1 2019 Night 2 of Detroit Dem debates drew 10 7 million viewers well below June ratings Politico Retrieved January 20 2020 Porter Rick TV Ratings Third Democratic Debate Scores Big The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved September 13 2019 Zach Despart July 21 2019 TSU selected as site of September Democratic primary debate Houston Chronicle Retrieved August 29 2019 Zhou Li September 12 2019 These 4 ABC and Univision reporters will moderate the third Democratic debate in Texas Vox Retrieved February 12 2020 Montellaro Zach September 27 2019 October Democratic debate will be on one night Politico Retrieved September 27 2019 Porter Rick TV Ratings Fourth Democratic Debate Falls on CNN The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved October 16 2019 Astor Maggie September 13 2019 The Times and CNN Will Host the Next Democratic Debate in Ohio The New York Times Retrieved September 13 2019 Zhou Li October 15 2019 Journalists from CNN and the New York Times are tag teaming this week s Democratic debate Vox Retrieved February 12 2020 a b Galloway Jim October 25 2019 Democratic presidential debate on Nov 20 headed for Tyler Perry s studio complex The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved October 25 2019 Stelter Brian November 21 2019 MSNBC s Democratic debate was the least watched so far CNN Retrieved November 23 2019 a b Jim Galloway Greg Bluestein Tia Mitchell November 11 2019 The Jolt Democratic presidential candidates will debate in the Oprah Winfrey sound stage The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved November 14 2019 a b c d Gregorian Dareh October 23 2019 MSNBC names four renowned female journalists as moderators for November debate NBC News Retrieved October 24 2019 a b Grace Panetta December 17 2019 Here s who will be onstage for Thursday s Democratic debate co hosted by PBS NewsHour and Politico what time it starts and how to watch Business Insider Retrieved December 18 2019 Porter Rick Sixth Democratic Debate Hits Ratings Low for 2020 Cycle The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved December 21 2019 a b Quint Forgey November 8 2019 New venue announced for December Democratic debate in Los Angeles Politico Retrieved November 8 2019 a b Ted Johnson November 27 2019 PBS amp Politico Announce Moderators For Next Democratic Debate Deadline Hollywood Retrieved November 27 2019 a b Des Moines Register CNN moderators announced for Tuesday s Democratic presidential debate USA Today January 8 2020 Retrieved January 11 2020 Thorne Will January 15 2020 Seventh Democratic Debate Draws 7 3 Million Viewers on CNN Beating Previous Two Variety Retrieved January 15 2020 a b c d Montellaro Zach December 12 2019 DNC announces 2020 debates in four early states Politico Retrieved December 12 2019 Bernstein Jared December 12 2019 7th Democratic Presidential Debate at Drake University Drake University University Calendar Retrieved January 12 2020 a b c Blaine Kyle January 8 2020 CNN announces moderators for Iowa Democratic debate CNN Retrieved January 8 2020 a b c Kendall Karson January 22 2020 ABC News announces moderators for February Democratic debate ABC News Retrieved January 22 2020 Johnson Ted February 8 2020 Democratic Debate Viewership Rises Slightly To 7 86 Million ABC News Says Deadline Retrieved February 9 2020 Laura Lemire Alexis Soucy January 28 2020 Saint Anselm College to Host New Hampshire s Only Democratic Presidential Primary Debate Saint Anselm College Retrieved January 28 2020 a b c Smith Allan February 6 2020 NBC News MSNBC announce 5 moderators for Democratic debate in Las Vegas NBC News Retrieved February 5 2020 Rick Porter February 20 2020 TV Ratings Ninth Democratic Debate Breaks Viewer Record for Party The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved February 20 2020 Democratic Debate Snags Record 20 Million Viewers NBC The New York Times Reuters February 20 2020 Retrieved February 20 2020 Yelena Dzhanova February 20 2020 Bloomberg s addition to the Democratic debate stage leads to record viewership CNBC Retrieved February 20 2020 a b c d Zach Montellaro February 15 2020 DNC announces debate qualification rules for South Carolina Politico Retrieved February 15 2020 Johnson Ted February 26 2020 Democratic Debate Again Draws Big Ratings As CBS Draws 15 3 Million Viewers Update Deadline Retrieved February 27 2020 a b CBS News CBS News announces moderators for South Carolina Democratic debate CBS News Retrieved February 19 2020 Zach Montellaro February 14 2020 Dems will hold mid March debate in Arizona Politico Retrieved February 14 2020 Michael M Grynbaum March 16 2020 A Drop in TV Ratings for a Democratic Debate Praised for Its Substance The New York Times Retrieved March 16 2020 a b c d e f g Democratic debate moved from Arizona to Washington DC over coronavirus concerns DNC announces CNN March 12 2020 Retrieved March 12 2020 a b Montellaro Zach Cadelago Christopher June 14 2019 DNC NBC announce first debate lineups Politico Retrieved June 15 2019 a b Orion Rummler July 18 2019 CNN sets lineups for second round of Democratic debates Axios a b c Karson Kendall August 29 2019 Final lineup set for sole night of ABC Democratic primary debate ABC News Retrieved August 29 2019 Scanlan Quinn October 2 2019 DNC announces 12 candidate single night lineup for 4th presidential debate ABC News Retrieved November 11 2019 a b Jessica Taylor November 14 2019 10 Democratic Candidates Qualify For Next Week s November Debate NPR Retrieved November 16 2019 a b c d Grace Segers Caroline Cournoyer Kathryn Watson December 17 2019 How to watch Thursday s Democratic presidential debate CBS News Retrieved December 18 2019 a b Zach Montellaro January 11 2020 Next debate stage will be the smallest whitest one yet Politico Retrieved January 11 2020 a b Quinn Scanlan February 7 2020 7 candidates qualify for New Hampshire Democratic primary debate podium order and format announced ABC News Retrieved February 7 2020 a b Quinn Melissa February 18 2020 Who has qualified for the Nevada Democratic debate so far CBS News Retrieved February 20 2020 a b c DNC Announces Details For The First Two Presidential Primary Debates February 14 2019 Democratic National Committee May 9 2019 Archived from the original on May 10 2019 Retrieved May 9 2019 Thomas Ken May 9 2019 Democrats Set Tiebreakers for Candidates to Qualify for 2020 Debates The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on May 9 2019 Retrieved May 9 2019 Tom Perez interview at CNN June 1 2019 DNC chair on gun violence I fear things will never change YouTube video Retrieved June 4 2019 via YouTube a b c d e f g Montellaro Zach June 6 2019 Who s in and out of the first Democratic debates Politico Retrieved June 6 2019 a b Wright David June 4 2019 May 9 2019 Here s who has qualified for the Democratic primary debates CNN Retrieved June 4 2019 a b Rakich Nathaniel Skelley Geoffrey June 6 2019 The Bottom Of The Democratic Field Is Making Moves Too 538 Retrieved June 6 2019 a b Karson Kendall June 10 2019 20 presidential candidates qualify for first Democratic National Committee debates reaching limit ABC News Retrieved June 10 2019 a b Axelrod Tal June 10 2019 Whip list Who s clinched a spot in the 2020 Democratic debates updated June 10 The Hill Retrieved June 10 2019 a b Montellaro Zach June 10 2019 Here are the qualifications for the first 2020 Democratic debates updated June 10 Politico Retrieved June 10 2019 a b c d e f Montellaro Zach July 15 2019 2020 Democratic polls first and second debate updated July 15 Politico Google Sheets Retrieved July 31 2019 a b Blumenthal Paul April 26 2019 Joe Biden Raised 6 3 Million In His First 24 Hours In The Race HuffPost Retrieved June 11 2019 a b c d e f g h Evers Hillstrom Karl April 3 2019 2020 Presidential Fundraising Early first quarter numbers fall flat compared to Clinton Obama OpenSecrets Retrieved June 11 2019 a b Wise Justin March 20 2019 O Rourke raised 6 1 million from over 128 000 donors on campaign s first day The Hill Retrieved June 11 2019 a b Demissie Addisu ASDem May 4 2019 New day new goals Our average online donation over the past 48 hours is only 11 We blew past 65K thanks to you and are now so close to hitting 70K donors can you spare 1 or 11 to help us cross the finish line Tweet via Twitter a b Tillett Emily April 15 2019 2020 Democratic presidential candidates reveal first quarter fundraising efforts CBS News Retrieved December 20 2019 a b Gamboa Suzanne May 3 2019 Julian Castro gets 65 000 contributors needed to secure spot in 2020 presidential debates NBC News Archived from the original on May 3 2019 Retrieved May 4 2019 a b Yang Andrew AndrewYang March 11 2019 We did it THANK YOU everyone who supported us to make it happen First stop debates next stop White House Tweet via Twitter a b Sukin Gigi April 11 2019 Tulsi Gabbard hits donor goal qualifying for primary debate Axios Retrieved December 20 2019 a b Gillibrand Kirstin SenGillibrand June 10 2019 Huge news Over the weekend we crossed 65 000 donors to our campaign guaranteeing our spot at the first debates I m so grateful to everyone who s helping power this campaign We have a lot more work to do in the months to come but for now Thank you Tweet via Twitter a b Inslee Jay JayInslee May 24 2019 Big news from the ClimateStrike in Las Vegas We ve officially hit the 65 000 donor mark and secured a spot on the debate stage in June Thank you to every single person who s brought us this far Let s go get em and let s defeat climate change together Tweet via Twitter a b Stewart Briana May 9 2019 Marianne Williamson s campaign says she s qualified for the first 2020 Democratic debate ABC News Archived from the original on May 9 2019 Retrieved May 9 2019 a b Shepard Steven Montellaro Zach May 23 2019 Spirituality guru Marianne Williamson locks in 2020 debate spot Politico Retrieved May 23 2019 a b Frazin Rachel June 4 2019 Michael Bennet meets polling criteria for first Democratic debates The Hill Retrieved June 4 2019 a b Marsh Julia May 20 2019 De Blasio turns to Facebook ads in scramble to raise money New York Post Retrieved June 7 2019 span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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