The next Democratic debate is likely to be only 1 night

Democratic debate
(Image credit: Getty Images)

It looks like we can start bidding farewell to two-night Democratic presidential debates.

After the first two 2020 debates took place over two nights, the third debate in September is now expected to place every candidate on just one night. That's because the Democratic National Committee's rules stipulated that for this event, should 10 candidates qualify, the event would take place on one night, and it would only be split into two if 11 or more candidates made it, CNN reports.

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This means the third Democratic debate will be the first time that all of the major candidates share the same stage; it will also be the first time that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and former Vice President Joe Biden will face off. The debate's other participants will be Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), as well as South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former congressman Beto O'Rourke, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro.

Under the DNC's rules, though, candidates do have more time to qualify for the October debate, so Politico reports that it's possible for the debate stage to actually expand again.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.