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Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis are squaring off in their first debate, which will be televised nationally tonight on CNN. Read on for more details about how to watch the debate on TV or on live stream.
Debate Time & TV Channel
You can watch the debate starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. It’s expected to last for one hour.
The town hall will be broadcast live on CNN. To find what channel CNN is on for you on your cable or satellite network, 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 CNN is on in your region.
How to Live Stream with a Cable Subscription
If you have a cable or satellite subscription, you can live stream the event through one of many options offered by CNN.
CNN told Heavy the following about live streaming options for most of their debates and town halls:
“The CNN livestream will be available on CNN.com‘s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android. It can also be viewed on CNNgo (at CNN.com/goon your desktop, smartphone, and iPad, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Android TV). Watch live CNN TV on any device, anywhere.”
Most debate events on CNN are only streamable if authenticated, so you’ll need a cable log-in subscription for the above options.
Live Stream Options Without Cable or Satellite
If you don’t have a cable or satellite subscription, there multiple ways you can live stream CNN. Read on for details.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including CNN. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the show on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which has most shows available after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
CNN is included in both the “Sling Orange” and “Sling Blue” channel packages. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of either, and you can then watch the show live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
PlayStation Vue offers four different channel packages, all of which include CNN. You can sign up for a free 5-day trial right here (you don’t need to have PlayStation to sign up), and you can then watch a live stream of the show on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the PS Vue app.
If you can’t watch live, PlayStation Vue comes with cloud DVR, but there are some restrictions.
Watching the next day: If you’re not interested in watching the town hall live, you can catch it later on Demand from your local cable system, or on CNN mobile apps or the CNNgo platform.
About the Debate
The debate will feature Democrat Gillum versus Republican DeSantis. It will start at 8 p.m. Eastern and be broadcast from WEDU studios in Tampa (the local PBS), and broadcast live on CNN. They are expected to address key issues, including healthcare, taxes, and the environment.
A second debate between the two candidates will take place on Wednesday, October 24 on CBS24.
The latest survey from CNN showed Gillum polling at 54 percent to DeSantis’ 42 percent.
Gillum, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor, is mayor of Tallahassee. In a speech at St. Petersburg College on Friday, he assured the crowd that he wouldn’t be a pushover, Tampa Bay Times reported. “Don’t let this smooth taste fool you. I graduated high school in Gainesville — but I grew up in Miami-Dade.” He predicted many attacks during the CNN debate tonight, saying that DeSantis was going to call him a socialist and corrupt. “He takes his cues from Donald Trump,” he said.
DeSantis, meanwhile, resigned from his House seat in order to focus on the governor’s race. He opposes Medicaid expansion in Florida, and has been getting extensive support from President Donald Trump, who just tweeted his support again on Saturday morning.
Gillum, 39, has said that Florida should accept billions in federal funding to expand Medicaid, in order to help the economy and people who have to go to the ER rather than the doctor because they don’t have health insurance.
Friday was his first return to the campaign trail after Hurricane Michael. He called out DeSantis for running attack ads as the hurricane was approaching.
However, DeSantis noted that his campaign converted their events into hurricane supply drives.