The latest Democratic debate is tonight, Sunday, March 15, 2020. This is the big faceoff between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, without a live audience for the first time. 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 for Tonight
Debate Date: The Democratic debate is taking place tonight: Sunday, March 15, 2020.
Debate Time: The debate will start at 8 p.m. Eastern and is scheduled to last until 10:15 p.m. Eastern. In the Central time zone, that’s 7 p.m. Central to 9:15 p.m. Central.
Election Central lists the start time at 5 p.m. Pacific and 6 p.m. Mountain.
Post-debate coverage will air on CNN starting at 10:15 p.m. Eastern until 12 a.m. Eastern.
Debate Channel: Tonight’s debate will be broadcast on CNN. To find out what channel CNN 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 CBS is on for you.
The debate will also air on Univision in Spanish at the same time.
Live Stream Options: As with all debates hosted by CNN, the debate will stream live in its entirety without requiring a cable provider log-in on CNN.com’s homepage and via CNN’s iOS and Android apps.
It will also be streamed on CNNgo apps available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, and Android TV. The debate will also air live on CNN en Español, CNN International, and Univision. The debate will also stream at Democrats.org and on Univision’s digital assets.
Details About Tonight’s Debate
The debates started months ago with a range of 12 to 20 candidates. Now they’ve been narrowed down to just two. Tulsi Gabbard is also still running, but she did not get enough delegates to qualify.
The candidates for tonight are:
- Joe Biden, former Vice President
- Bernie Sanders, Vermont senator
Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bloomberg, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and others have dropped out.
The debate is being co-hosted by CNN, Univision, and CHC BOLD.
Moderators for the debate include Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, and Ilia Calderon according to Election Central. Calderon is taking the place of Jorge Ramos, who bowed out because he was exposed to someone who tested positive for coronavirus.
You can expect the coronavirus to be a big topic of discussion in tonight’s debate. It reshaped much of what was going to happen in the debate tonight. The debate was supposed to be held at a large venue in Arizona without a live audience. Then the debate was moved to a TV studio in Washington, D.C. because of concerns about the coronavirus. The debate is taking place at the CNN Washington Bureau, CBS News reported.
CNN reported about the venue change, quoting a statement from Xochitl Hinojosa, DNC communications director:
Out of an abundance of caution and in order to reduce cross-country travel, all parties have decided that the best path forward is to hold Sunday’s debate at CNN’s studio in Washington, D.C., with no live audience.
Additionally, Univision’s Jorge Ramos was possibly exposed to coronavirus. While he is not exhibiting any symptoms, he has has stepped down from his role as one of the moderators for the debate, the DNC said. The network’s Ilia Calderón will take his place, alongside CNN’s Dana Bash and Jake Tapper. The debate is still set to take place 8 to 10 p.m. ET Sunday.
After this, the next debate will be in April.
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