Democrats are headed to battleground Florida for their first presidential debates of the 2020 election cycle, as Miami is set to host on June 26 and 27.
The two-night event, to be broadcast on NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo, will be the first chance for candidates to square off against one another on stage before a national audience.
DNC Chairman Tom Perez announced Miami as the site for the first of its debates leading into 2020 one day after the Miami-Dade Democratic Party sent him a letter urging the national party to hold its first debate in South Florida, the Democratic bastion of the largest swing state in the nation.
Candidates must poll at 1 percent nationally or in early primary states in three different polls, or receive donations from at least 65,000 individuals to qualify.
If more than 20 candidates meet the polling or donation criteria, the party will prioritize candidates who accomplished both.
The crowded pool of Democrats fighting for the chance to challenge President Trump has grown to more than a dozen since the beginning of the year, with more candidates expected to join the race in the coming weeks.
Miami was among the top contenders to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention, which was instead awarded to Milwaukee.
“Throughout every step of this process, we’ve focused on empowering the grassroots and ensuring that we hold the most transparent, inclusive, and fair primary in our party’s history,” DNC Chair Tom Perez said in a statement Thursday. “I’m thrilled that we’ll get the chance to showcase our terrific candidates to voters in Florida and across the nation.”
The DNC has planned to host a dozen debates ahead of its 2020 convention, when the party will decide who will face President Trump, who is seeking reelection.
There is a dense Democratic primary field that includes Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Cory Booker, Sec. Julian Castro, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Gov. Jay Inslee, and Sen. Kamala Harris and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.