Democratic debates could reportedly kick off with Warren zeroing in on candidates who aren't even on stage

Let the games begin.

The first debate of the 2020 Democratic primaries is set for Wednesday night in Miami, featuring half of the 20 candidates who qualified. The other 10 will take the stage on Thursday evening.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) headlines Wednesday's debate, while other frontrunners like former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg will square off on Thursday (the nights were selected by a random draw.) Warren, CNN writes, heads into Wednesday evening with significant momentum. Her goal, CNN reports, is to prove she is the top candidate on whats considered the weaker stage — which is evident by the fact that she's reportedly preparing for questions about Biden and Sanders, even though they won't be around.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

That's not to say there's no one else of note on Wednesday evening — Warren will be joined by former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), and Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), all of whom are lower in the polls, but still contenders in the wide-open race. Former Housing Secretary Julián Castro, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Reps. John Delaney (D-Md.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), and Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio round out the lineup.

The debate will air at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo, and will be streaming NBC News' and Telemundo's digital platforms. NBC's Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, and Chuck Todd, as well as MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and Telemundo's José Diaz-Balart will moderate.