Getty
The third Democratic debate is tonight, Thursday, September 12, 2019. 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 as candidates seek the Democratic nomination.
Debate Time & Channel
Debate Date: The third Democratic debate is taking place tonight: Thursday, September 12, 2019.
Debate Time: The debate will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central) and last until 11 p.m. Eastern, so the debate will be three hours long. It’s worth noting that the debate this month is estimated to last 30 minutes to an hour longer than the July debates.
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 5 p.m. Pacific.
According to TV Guide, ABC is following the debate with local programming for 35 minutes until Jimmy Kimmel Live begins.
Debate Channel: Tonight’s debate will be broadcast on ABC and on Univision. Live stream options will also be available.
To find out what channel ABC or Univision 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.
Details About Tonight’s Debate
You can also watch the debate in this video below.
Because of more stringent debate requirements, the candidates in tonight’s debate are narrowed down to just 10 rather than 20. However, more candidates may qualify for the next debates in October. The requirements for this debate included receiving 2 percent or more in four qualifying polls between June 28 and August 28, and receiving donations from at least 130,000 unique donors (with a minimum of 400 donors per state in at least 20 states.) The cutoff for qualifying donations was 11:59 p.m. on August 28.
The candidates for tonight are former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Cory Booker, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
The debate will take place at Texas Southern University. This marks the first time that Warren and Biden will be on the debate stage together.
Each candidate will have one minute and 15 seconds to respond to direct questions, ABC News said, and 45 seconds for rebuttals. They’ll be able to give opening statements but not closing statements.
Candidates who didn’t qualify for this debate still have a chance to qualify for the October debate. Tulsi Gabbard, for example, just needs two more qualifying polls. She’s already passed the donation requirements for the October debates.
Candidates have until October 1 to meet the requirements for the next set of debates.
Tom Steyer has already qualified for the October debates. The October debates will be October 15 and 16. Since more than 10 have already qualified, it looks like this will be a two-night debate again.
READ NEXT: 10,000 Flock to Bernie Sanders’ Denver Rally the Day After His Birthday