1A Across America: The Second Democratic Debates

This week, 20 Democratic presidential hopefuls meet for the second time on the debate stage as the party edges closer to electing its nominee to challenge President Trump. The debates will be held over two nights at the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit.

Night One: Marianne Williamson, Tim Ryan, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O’Rourke, John Hickenlooper, John Delaney, Steve Bullock

Night Two: Michael Bennet, Kirsten Gillibrand, Julián Castro, Cory Booker, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee, Bill de Blasio

Here’s what to expect, per The New York Times:

Tuesday's debate will place the race's two liberal front-runners, Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, together at center stage.

Wednesday's debate will feature former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., under attack for his past positions on race-related issues, standing between the two leading black candidates: Senators Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Mr. Biden has spent the last month clashing with both.

The debates will begin with 60-second opening statements, followed by 60-second responses to questions posed by CNN's moderators, Dana Bash, Don Lemon and Jake Tapper.

CNN will not ask the candidates “show of hands” questions. And representatives from the network have told the campaigns they will penalize any candidate who “consistently interrupts” by reducing the amount of time that candidate has to speak.

The second round of debates could also be a critical elimination round for candidates who don’t meet the support or fundraising benchmarks, ahead of more restrictive debates in Houston next month.

Who will shine? Will the economy, or impeachment, get the most attention? And how will candidates appeal to specific voter bases?

We analyze the two nights with a panel of voters and campaign strategists.

Show produced by Across America producer James Morrison.

1A Across America is funded through a grant from The Corporation for Public Broadcasting. CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 that is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting.

GUESTS

Rachel Bovard, Senior director of policy, Conservative Partnership Institute; former legislative director, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY); former director of policy services, The Heritage Foundation; @rachelbovard

Sarah Duncan, Visual arts teacher at Walton Elementary School, Walton, West Virginia; Democratic voter

Doug Ellis, Sporting goods store owner in Virginia, Minnesota; Independent voter

Howard Franklin, Democratic strategist, Ohio River South; @iruncampaigns

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

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