Who will moderate, what will format be for 2nd Democratic presidential debate?

Debate set for July 30-31 in Detroit

Democratic presidential candidates (L-R) Marianne Williamson, former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, former tech executive Andrew Yang, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) take part in the second night of the first Democratic presidential debate on June 27, 2019 in Miami, Florida. A field of 20 Democratic presidential candidates was split into two groups of 10 for the first debate of the 2020 election, taking place over two nights at Knight Concert Hall of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, hosted by NBC News, MSNBC, and Telemundo. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

While the specific candidates who will appear on stage haven’t been announced yet for the second Democratic presidential candidate debate, the other elements of the debate are already in place. 

CNN, which will air and run the debate, has announced that Dana Bash, Don Lemon and Jake Tapper will serve as moderators for the event July 30 and July 31 at the Fox Theater in Detroit.

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The format of the debate was also announced, which includes the following:

  • Candidates will be given 60 seconds to respond to a moderator-directed question and 30 seconds for rebuttals. 
  • A candidate attacked by name by another candidate will be given 30 seconds to respond. 
  • Candidates who consistently interrupt will have his or her time reduced.
  • Television viewers will see the questions posed by moderators at the bottom of the screen. 

With the moderators and format set, all that’s left is to determine the candidates. 

There are 24 Democratic candidates who have decided to run, but the list will be cut to 20 for the debates based on parameters such as poll support and donors secured.

There will be 10 candidates on the stage each night. 

CNN said the specific lineup of candidates for each night will be determined via a live draw July 18. 


About the Author:

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.