The first Democratic presidential debate is just hours away, kicking off the race to the White House.
Held in Miami, there will be two 2020 debates this week on Wednesday and Thursday, with ten candidates speaking each night.
The first of the two will feature: Cory Booker, Bill de Blasio, Julián Castro, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Tim Ryan and Elizabeth Warren.
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Here’s a quick refresher on the contenders vying to take on Trump in 2020:
Carli Pierson meanwhile warns the Democrats that a middle-of-the-road candidate like Joe Biden or Kamala Harris will cost them in 2020.
For those of you planning to watch tonight’s event unfold, the debate kicks off on Wednesday night at 9pm EST (2am on Thursday in the UK) and will be available on NBC News, the media partner for the first round of debates.
The debates will also be streamed on NBCNews.com, and on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Among the candidates set to appear this evening is Tulsi Gabbard, the 38-year-old Hawaii congresswoman and former army medic whose campaign’s central theme is an opposition to foreign wars.
My colleague Clark Mindock spoke to her last week about her plans to take on Trump in 2020 – take a look at his exclusive interview here:
The moderators will try to cover a range of issues tonight, but the growing concerns about conditions in government camps holding undocumented child migrants, as well as Trump’s hardline immigration policies, are likely to feature heavily.
All eyes will be on Elizabeth Warren in particular following the top-polling candidate’s announcement that she will spend the day visiting the Homestead migrant detention centre in Florida, after she was asked to do so by an audience member at a town hall question and answer session in the state.
Meanwhile, the devastating picture of the bodies of Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his 23-month-old daughter Valeria, who were drowned in the Rio Grande attempting to reach the US from El Salvador, has galvanised international attention to the horrific reality for those trying to make the perilous passage to the US.
The Independent has taken the decision to publish the image in an effort to illustrate the human cost of the Trump administration’s approach towards immigration and those families desperately attempting to enter the country in search of a better life.
Tonight’s debate, held in the crucial swing state of Florida, will feature the following candidates:
- Cory Booker – New Jersey senator
- John Delaney – former Maryland congressman
- Elizabeth Warren – Massachusetts senator
- Beto O’Rourke – former Texas congressman
- Bill de Blasio – New York City mayor
- Tim Ryan – Ohio congressman
- Julian Castro – former Housing secretary
- Amy Klobuchar – Minnesota senator
- Tulsi Gabbard – Hawaii congresswoman
- Jay Inslee – Washington governor
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage ahead of the first Democratic debate tonight, when 10 candidates will bid for the chance to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
While there’s still a long way to go until the 2020 Democratic candidate is chosen, tonight’s debate represents the first major opportunity for the candidates and their plans to be tested and scrutinised while giving voters an opportunity to see how each of the hopefuls holds up under pressure.
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