DETROIT — Twenty presidential hopefuls will be in Michigan this week for the second round of debates trying to get a leg-up in the competition in a crowded field of Democratic candidates.
CNN is hosting and televising the debate in Detroit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
These debates are following the first set, which were held in Miami at the end of June The line-up is nearly the same with Montana Gov. Steve Bullock being the only fresh face.
Here is what you need to know about the debates:
When/where are they happening?
The first round is on Tuesday night, July 30 at 8 p.m. The second round is on Wednesday night, July 31 at 8 p.m. Each debate will last two hours.
The debates are taking place at Fox Theatre on Woodward Avenue in Detroit.
The event is ticketed, and most of the tickets went to the state Democratic party, elected officials and other people associated with campaigns. The theatre seats about 5,000 people, so there were will some members of the general public in attendance.
Who will be at the debates?
Twenty of 24 Democratic presidential candidates will be on the debate stage. They have been split into two groups, with 10 candidates debating each night.
Here is the line-up:
Tuesday, July 30
- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
- South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas)
- U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
- Montana Gov. Steve Bullock
- Former U.S. Rep. John Delaney
- Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
- U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio)
- Author and activist Marianne Williamson
Wednesday, July 31
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)
- Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro
- Businessman Andrew Yang
- U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)
- U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
- U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii)
- U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
- Washington Gov. Jay Inslee
CNN has three moderators for the debates: Dana Bash, Don Lemon and Jake Tapper.
What to expect?
This is most likely the last debate for many of the candidates. The third Democratic debate has stricter standards to qualify. That means, for some of the low polling candidates, they are simply going to be trying to gain some recognition with voters.
Of the 20 candidates participating in the Detroit debates, 11 are polling at 1 percent or less.
The two main match-ups will be between Sanders and Warren on the first night and Biden and Harris on the second night. Both Sanders and Warren are progressive candidates who have big policy agendas. There could be some clashing between them, with Sanders focused on healthcare and Warren on income inequality, or the debate could provide more moderate candidates the opportunity to interrogate the policies of both those senators.
The standout moment from the first debates in Miami was when Harris called Biden out for his comments about segregationist senators and his opposition to desegregation busing. It was one of the most tense and most talked about scenes from the first debate, and it pushed Harris into the top tier of candidates. With both of them sharing the stage again, there could be a possible match-up. Biden has since said he won't be as polite in the Detroit debates.
How can you watch the debates?
CNN has the exclusive rights to both nights of the debate, so you can watch the debates on CNN and CNN en Español. If you don't have cable, the debates will be streamed live on CNN.com for free.
13 ON YOUR SIDE will also have a recap of the debate as well as some of the important topics for Michiganders.
What are the rules?
CNN has slightly different rules than the first debate. Candidates will have 60 seconds to respond to moderator questions and 30 seconds for responses or rebuttals.
These details were also shared with the candidates:
- Colored lights will be used to help the candidates manage their remaining response times: 15 seconds = yellow; 5 seconds = flashing red; no time remaining = solid red.
- A candidate attacked by name by another candidate will be given 30 seconds to respond.
- There will be no show of hands or one-word, down-the-line questions.
- A candidate who consistently interrupts will have his or her time reduced.
- Questions posed by the moderators will appear on the bottom of the screen for television viewers.
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