Six Democratic candidates will take the stage on January 14 in the next debate of the 2020 presidential campaign.

  • When: January 14, 9-11 p.m. EST
  • Where: Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa
  • Who: Former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, billionaire Tom Steyer, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren

The stakes are higher since this will be the last Democratic debate before the February 3 Iowa caucuses. The debate will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, a state Donald Trump won in 2016. The two-hour debate will begin at 9 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on CNN. For debate updates and analysis about the issues that matter to you, follow Spectrum News on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Just six of the seven candidates who took part in the last debate will participate this time around due to stricter polling and fundraising requirements for entry.

How did candidates qualify for the debate?

In December 2019, party officials announced that qualifiers will need to meet one of two polling requirements to get on stage in Des Moines: either receiving 5 percent in at least four national or early-state surveys approved by the party, or receiving 7 percent in two early-state polls.

In terms of fundraising, candidates must receive donations from at least 225,000 unique donors, with a minimum of 1,000 unique donors per state in at least 20 states. That’s up from 200,000 unique overall donors, and 800 in 20 states for the December debate in Los Angeles.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, billionaire Tom Steyer, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have qualified for the January 14 debate.

Which candidates did not make the debate?

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker announced the suspension of his campaign Monday morning.

Author Marianne Williamson announced on January 10 that she was dropping out of the presidential race. She was last seen on the debate stage on July 30, 2019.

“I stayed in the race to take advantage of every possible effort to share our message. With caucuses and primaries now about to begin, however, we will not be able to garner enough votes in the election to elevate our conversation any more than it is now,” Williamson said in a message on her website.

Unable to raise the needed funds, former Secretary of Housing Julián Castro departed from the race on January 2. He didn’t qualify for the Democratic debates that took place in November and December 2019.

Castro announced on January 6 that he was endorsing Warren.

Businessman Andrew Yang appeared in the December debate. He reached the donor requirement for the January 14 debate, but didn't meet the requisite number of polls.

Also not qualifying this time around: Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Colorado Sen. Michael F. Bennet, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

What should we expect from the seventh debate?

The conflict in Iran will likely be a major topic of discussion.

The senators that are still in the presidential race returned to Capitol Hill on January 8 for a classified briefing. It was a chance for them to raise questions about President Donald Trump's strategy.

On January 9, the House moved toward approval of a non-binding measure limiting President Trump's ability to take military action against Iran as criticism of the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general intensified. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that while the war powers resolution does not require President Trump's signature, it nonetheless "has real teeth" because it is "a statement of the Congress of the United States.'' Republicans denounced the House measure as little more than "a press release" designed to attack the president. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence urged GOP lawmakers to oppose the plan.

Pelosi said the drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani was "provocative and disproportionate." Iran retaliated by firing missiles at two military bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops.

Another topic viewers should expect to hear about at the seventh debate is the December 18 impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Pelosi says she'll soon transmit the articles of impeachment against the president to the Senate for a trial. It's a sign of a potential thaw in the standoff with Senate Republicans as Pelosi warns against rushing to an acquittal without a fair trial. Pelosi faces mounting pressure from Republicans and some Democrats to quit delaying the trial. It's been more than three weeks since the House impeached Trump on charges of abuse and obstruction. Republicans say Democrats are embarrassed by their vote. But Pelosi says Democrats are “proud'' of upholding the Constitution. Many on Capitol Hill expect the trial to begin next week.

What else should New Yorkers listen for in the fourth debate?

Climate Change

With massive wildfires burning large swaths of Australia — the intensity of which has been linked by some to record-breaking temperatures in the nation — climate change will likely garner attention in the debate. Broadly speaking, a majority of Americans are at least somewhat concerned about global warming, and those concerns are reflected in Democratic voters pressuring candidates to develop aggressive environmental reforms.

But while all the Democrats debating agree that the U.S. needs to take action on global warming, there is a divide over how aggressive the nation should be. The city has mostly supported policies that candidates further to the left have championed. Earlier this year, de Blasio rolled out his own version of the "Green New Deal," announcing a plan to power all city operations with clean energy sources within the next five years. Most city lawmakers have also come out in support of measures to move the five boroughs closer to becoming carbon-neutral within the next few decades. The state also passed its own legislation in June to aggressively reduce emissions statewide. During the debate, New Yorkers can pay attention to the candidates' climate plans to see how closely they align with the city and state's actions.

Taxes

Several Democratic candidates could also clash in the debate over how far tax reform should go. While the Democrats support overturning the 2017 Republican tax law, candidates further to the left, such as Warren, want to go further by increasing taxes on the wealthy. 61 percent of Americans support Warren's proposal for taxing households that have a net worth of at least $50 million, according to a February Morning Consult poll.

With high costs in New York City, and the GOP tax law capping state and local tax (SALT) deductions at $10,000, New Yorkers may want to pay attention to how candidates potentially respond to Warren's wealth tax proposal and discussions on the 2017 tax law. The debate could provide an opportunity to see which candidates view her proposal, and overturning the 2017 tax law, as a priority.

 

 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.