The first of the Democratic debates is tonight, Wednesday, June 26, 2019, in Miami. What time is the debate starting and how can you watch it on TV? Here’s a quick look at when you’ll need to tune in for the debate.
If you are looking for details about the July 30, 2019 debate in Detroit, please see Heavy’s story here.
Debate Date: The first Democratic debate is taking place on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.
Debate Time & Channel: The debate will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. Central) and last until 11 p.m. Eastern, so the debate will be two hours long. On the West Coast, the debate will air simultaneously with the rest of the country (not on a delay like sometimes happens for West Coast airings.) This means the debate will begin at 6 p.m. Pacific.
Tonight’s debate will be broadcast on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo. You can also watch a live stream of the debate at the bottom of this post via NBC News’ YouTube channel.
Telemundo’s broadcast officially begins at 8:55 p.m. Eastern (7:55 p.m. Central and 5:55 p.m. Pacific.)
MSNBC’s broadcast begins officially at 9 p.m. Eastern, but they will also be airing a Democratic Candidates Debate Pre-Show from 7-9 p.m. Eastern, an hour before the official debate begins.
NBC will not have a pre-debate airing. The debate will air at 9 p.m. Eastern sharp and last for two hours.
To find out what channel NBC, MSNBC, or Telemundo 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 any of those stations is on for you.
Debate Details: The lineup for the first debate will be: Cory Booker, Bill de Blasio, Julian Castro, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee, Beto O’Rourke, Amy Klobuchar, Tim Ryan, and Elizabeth Warren.
Interestingly, 538 noted that the DNC had tried to select the candidates randomly and avoid having the highest-polling candidates on the same night. However, four of the five highest-polling candidates were still chosen for tomorrow night, with Elizabeth Warren being the only one in the group scheduled for the first debate.
The debate will be held at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. The moderators will be Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow, and Jose Diaz-Balart.
You can watch the debate live at 9 p.m. ET in the video player below:
