Tonight on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, is the ninth Democratic debate. This time, the debate is taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. If you’re wanting to watch the debate on TV tonight, we have all the details for you below. Unlike some debates, you actually have two channels to choose from tonight. The debate is starting at 9 p.m. Eastern and will air on MSNBC and NBC.
You Can Watch the Debate on TV on MSNBC or NBC Tonight
The debate starts a little later than most of them have so far this campaign season. Tonight’s debate is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. Central/6 p.m. Pacific.)
The debate will be hosted on two TV channels tonight: NBC and MSNBC. The Nevada Independent is co-hosting the debate with NBC and MSNBC, along with Noticias Telemundo.
According to the TV Guide listing, the NBC broadcast is called “Democratic Candidates Debate” and it runs from 9 p.m. Eastern to 11 p.m. Eastern. Right before the debate starts, Chicago Med is airing at 8 p.m. Eastern. After the debate ends, NBC has local programming scheduled until 11:34 p.m. Eastern, followed by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Meanwhile, on MSNBC, the debate has the same title: “Democratic Candidates Debate.” This airing also runs from 9-11 p.m. Eastern. Just prior to the debate, MSNBC is hosting a Democratic Debate Pre-Show hosted by Kristen Welker starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. After the debate, MSNBC has Post-Debate Analysis: Decision 2020 from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern.
To find out what channel either NBC or MSNBC is on for you, click here to go to TV Guide’s listings. Then change the “Provider” (right under TV Listings) to your local provider. You’ll be able to scroll down to see what channel NBC or MSNBC is on for you.
While you’re waiting for the debate to start, you can catch a Pre-Show right here in the live stream below. It will start an hour before the debate begins.
The candidates in tonight’s debate are:
- Joe Biden, former Vice President
- Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City
- Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana
- Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota senator
- Bernie Sanders, Vermont senator
- Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts senator
The moderators from NBC are Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, and Hallie Jackson. Vanessa Huac from Telemundo and Jon Ralston from The Nevada Independent are also moderating the debate tonight.
The next debate will be hosted by CBS, Twitter, and the Congressional Black Caucus. It will take place on Tuesday, February 25 at the Gaillard Center in South Carolina.
A lot has happened leading up to the debate tonight. Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary. The Iowa Caucus is still up in there. Sanders is asking for a partial recount after a recanvass indicated that Sanders and Buttigieg are tied in Iowa, AP News reported. There are still a lot of questions about Iowa, including math that has been questioned, inconsistencies, and other issues.
Next up is the Nevada Caucus. Nevada is no longer using the Shadow app as originally planned. The caucus will, in some ways, be similar to Iowa with an initial vote in each caucus followed by a final alignment and a delegate estimate.
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