A record 12 Democrats to face off in Tuesday's Ohio presidential debate


Twelve Democratic presidential candidates will gather on one stage in Ohio on Tuesday night for their first debate since House Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry of President Trump tied to one of the top candidates, former Vice President Joe Biden, and another leading candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), had a heart attack. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), meanwhile, is now tied with or leads Biden in the polls. The debate, featuring the largest number of U.S. presidential candidates on stage at the same time, will be hosted by CNN and The New York Times.
Billionaire Tom Steyer is making his first debate appearance, and several second-tier candidates are facing a shrinking window to break through before the first caucus. The other eight candidates in Tuesday's debate are three more U.S. senators — Kamala Harris (Calif.), Cory Booker (N.J.), and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) — South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii).
The candidates "are really being distinguished on the same set of issues ... impeachment, what's happening in Syria and a lot of other places," Sean Bagniewski, chairman of Iowa's Polk County Democrats, told Politico. "People are actually starting to look at who would be the best leader in challenging times like these." But with so many candidates facing so much pressure to stand out, there might be some unexpected moments. “Who knows what goofy bulls--t Steyer will pull, or Gabbard will pull,” an adviser to one candidate told Politico.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Fed chair Powell in Trump's firing line
Speed Read The president considers removing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
-
Trump trashes supporters over Epstein files
speed read The president lashed out on social media following criticism of his administration's Jeffrey Epstein investigation
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year
-
US inflation jumps as Trump tariffs 'bite'
Speed Read Consumer prices are climbing and the inflation rate rose to its highest level in four months
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life