All eyes will be on Las Vegas tonight for the Nevada Democratic debate sponsored by NBC News, MSNBC, and The Nevada Independent. With six candidates on stage, including the addition of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the stakes couldn’t be higher for his first debate appearance and the Nevada Democratic Caucus set for this Saturday.
Here are all the details on the debate tonight including how to watch, what channel it will be on, debate start time, and details about the moderators and question format.
NBC News/MSNBC Nevada Democratic Debate (9th Debate)
Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Time: 9 pm ET (8 pm CT, 7 pm MT, 6 pm PT)
Watch On: MSNBC and NBC
Location: Paris Theater Las Vegas, Nevada
Sponsors: The Nevada Independent, NBC News
Moderators: Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, Hallie Jackson, Vanessa Hauc, and Jon Ralston
Full Debate Video
Watch the full Nevada Democratic debate embedded below:
Alternate Video Video: NBC/MSNBC Nevada Democratic Debate
How to watch
On TV – The debate will air on your local NBC station as well as MSNBC on cable/satellite.
Online – The live debate stream will be embedded above but the debate can also be streamed at NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, and The Nevada Independent.
Social Media – The debate will stream live at the NBC News and MSNBC Facebook pages.
Spanish Broadcast – It will also air live in Spanish on Universo, as well as the Noticias Telemundo mobile app and website and Noticias Telemundo’s Facebook page.
Debate Candidates
The rules have been changed for the Nevada debate with the donor requirements being lifted leaving only polling thresholds for candidates to meet. Here is the list of qualified candidates that will be on the stage tonight in Las Vegas:
- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
- Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
- Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
What to Watch For
This will be the first time Michael Bloomberg steps on stage before a national television audience for a debate. His name and face have been plastered in advertising for months now, which has let him foster a message and a brand unchallenged by the conventions of a live debate.
There will be attacks launched at Bloomberg, the question is how he chooses to defend them, and which candidates will do the attacking. At the moment, the other candidates in Bloomberg’s lane include Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar, for the most part, as the moderate bloc of Democratic voters continues to be split among several contenders.
Bernie Sanders has taken heat as recently as this past week when an influential Nevada union declined to endorse any candidate but went out of its way to criticize Sanders’ Medicare For All as a plan that would take away the private health insurance of union workers. This topic will continue to be hotly discussed as it has been in just about every debate dating back to the first debate in June of 2019.
As far as debate performances go, Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren are desperately in need of creating some buzz tonight to reignite their flailing campaigns. The New Hampshire debate, which took place on Feb. 7, left both candidates reeling with lackluster performances and a dismal finish in the Granite State primary.
Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg will need to work on their delivery and how they plan to speak to a new audience in Nevada, and South Carolina, as well, as the primary moves forward. They both finished high in New Hampshire, but their numbers are much lower according to polls int he next two states.
Bernie Sanders is the front runner right now in Nevada and nationally which means he’ll be the target of much criticism tonight from his colleagues on stage hoping to have their moment.
More Information
Follow the 2020 Democratic Debate Schedule page for full details and the 2020 Primary Schedule for the upcoming states on the primary calendar.
The Nevada Democratic Caucus will take place on Saturday, Feb. 22.
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