The Third Democratic Debate Will Be A One-Night Affair

The front-runners will finally all face off on the same stage.
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The third Democratic debate will be a one-night affair, bringing all the front-runners to the same stage for the first time.

In a significant shift, the field of presidential candidates participating will be cut in half from the previous debates, ABC News announced Thursday.

Per guidelines for the event published by ABC News, which is hosting the event with Univision, the debate would have stretched across two nights if more than 10 candidates had met the qualifications set by the Democratic National Committee.

But only 10 candidates qualified by the Aug. 28 deadline. Here’s the list of candidates who will participate in the Sept. 12 event, in the order they will appear on stage, from left to right:

  • Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
  • Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)
  • South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
  • Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
  • Former Vice President Joe Biden
  • Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
  • Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)
  • Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
  • Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas)
  • Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro

Those who failed to qualify include:

  • Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)
  • Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D)
  • New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D)
  • Former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.)
  • Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii)
  • Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
  • Miramar, Florida, Mayor Wayne Messam (D)
  • Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio)
  • Former Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.)
  • Hedge fund manager Tom Steyer
  • Author Marianne Williamson

After failing to qualify for the debate, Gillibrand dropped out of the race.

To earn a spot in the third debate, each presidential hopeful had to have more than 2% support in at least four national polls or in polls of early-voting states such as Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina. The candidates also must have raised funds from at least 130,000 individual donors and show that they have 400 unique donors from at least 20 different states.

Voters will finally have a chance to compare and contrast all the front-runners on the same stage at the same time. The two previous Democratic debates split up the large field over two-night events, neither of which featured Biden and Warren onstage together.

Per ABC News, moderators will allow 1 minute, 15 seconds for direct responses to questions, and 45 seconds for responses and rebuttals. In contrast to past debates, there will be no closing statements. Candidates will, however, be allowed to deliver opening statements.

This article has been updated to include Gillibrand’s departure from the race.

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