What You Should Know About The Upcoming Democratic Debate

If you live under a rock or avoid the mass media at all costs, you may not even know that the fifth Democratic debate is November 20th at 9 p.m. EST. You can catch tonight’s debate on MSNBC or washingtonpost.com who are co-hosting the debate.

I am not one to write about politics, but I am one to encourage citizens to do their civic duty and make educated decisions for their future. No matter your party of beliefs it is important to pay attention to what is happening on both sides of the fence. The only real way to decide which candidate you are for (and against)  is to hear from them, and a debate is a perfect place to do just that. 

If you’re not a political person, you may feel like you’re too behind to start watching now, but it’s never too late to start learning and forming your opinions. 

Ten candidates will take the stage in Atlanta. While this is a large portion of candidates in the race, it is not all of them. These ten are simply those who qualified for the debate on these standards: “hitting at least 3 percent in four approved polls or at least 5 percent in two early-state polls, plus bringing in donations from at least 165,000 unique donors,” according to the Washington Post, a cohost organization of the event.

Here’s a list of who you’ll hear from in the debate:

• Former Vice President Joe Biden

• U.S. Sen. from New Jersey Cory Booker

• Mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg

• U.S. Rep. from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard

• U.S. Sen. from California Kamala Harris

• U.S. Senator from Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

• Billionaire and activist Tom Steyer

• U.S. Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren

• Entrepreneur Andrew Yang

Other Democratic candidates in the race who will not be on the debate stage include U.S. Sen. from Colorado Michael Bennet, Governor of Montana Steve Bullock, Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, U.S. Rep. from Maryland John Delaney, Mayor of Miramar, Florida Wayne Messam, U.S. Rep. from Pennsylvania Joe Sestak, and author Marianne Williamson. 

In past debates candidates spoke on healthcare, gun policies, immigration, and numerous other hot issues. We can expect to see these issues come up again and again as the primary grows closer. However, candidates are also expected to give some attention to other issues such as climate change and education. 

Past debates have shown that there is likely to be much discussion of the policy proposal Medicare for all, and in light of the recent impeachment inquiry, it is likely that it could also be a major subject. 

For candidates stances and positions on these issues and many more, you can click here.  

To learn more about this debate or past debates, click here. 

Tune in to MSNBC or washingtonpost.com at 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday, November 20th to see how the debate actually plays out.

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