The Democratic Party has officially set a date for its first presidential primary debates.
The first two debates will take place in Miami, Florida on consecutive nights, June 26 and 27. The debates will be televised live on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo, according to NBC News media reporter Dylan Byers. (RELATED: Trump Weighs In After DNC Says Fox News Can’t Host Primary Debate)
US Senators Cory Booker (L) and Kamala Harris (R) chat on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 27, 2018. (Photo SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
As of March 28, there are 18 Democrats currently running for president, with former Vice President Joe Biden widely expected to enter the race as the likely front-runner. (RELATED: Stacey Abrams Puts Biden VP Rumors To Bed With Just 8 Words)
With so many candidates, it’s unknown how the Democrats will manage their debates. With 17 candidates running in the 2016 Republican primary, the Republicans initially had two separate debates based on polling.
Democratic candidates are required to have 65,000 donors, with 200 unique donors in 20 different states in order to be eligible for the debates. In 2016, Democrats held nine debates with nearly the entirety of the primary being a two-person race between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Democrats don’t currently have any other debates scheduled, but do have an LGBTQ forum scheduled at UCLA for October.