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Watch Live: Democrats to debate live this evening

Posted at 6:44 PM, Sep 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-16 16:30:22-04

Tune in at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT for the third Democratic Party presidential debate, featuring the top 10 candidates in the Democratic field based on polling.

The candidates

Former Vice President Joe Biden
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro
California Sen. Kamala Harris
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang

The candidates on stage qualified by having 130,000 unique donors by Aug. 28, and earning 2 percent in four polls that sample voters nationally or in the states of New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada, or South Carolina.

A large field of candidates did not qualify for Thursday's debate. Candidates who appeared in previous debates such as Rep. Tim Ryan, Mayor Bill DeBlasio, Gov. Steve Bullock, author Marianne Williamson, Sen. Michael Bennet, Rep. John Delaney and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard failed to qualify. The aforementioned candidates have until Oct. 1 to qualify for the next debate in October. Activist Tom Steyer, who has not yet appeared in a debate, has recently qualified for the October debate, meaning the next debate could revert back to a two-night format.

Moderators

ABC News' David Muir and Linsey Davis will join Univision anchor Jorge Ramos as moderators. Ramos and Muir, at separate events, moderated Democratic Party debates leading up to the 2016 election. Muir also moderated a Republican Party debate in 2016.

Format

The debate will mark the longest one so far in this debate season going a full three hours. Each candidate will be given one minute and 15 seconds for direct responses to questions, and 45 seconds for responses and rebuttals. Candidates will have the opportunity to deliver opening statements, but there will be no closing statements, ABC said.

The top 10 on one stage

Thursday is arguably the night many voters have waited for with the entire top 10 slate of candidates on one stage. For instance, this is the first time that Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden will share a stage. Will Warren take a shot at Biden now that she has the opportunity? We'll find out on Thursday.