20 Democrats Face Off on Wednesday and Thursday for the First Debate

Kicking off the presidential race to 2020 in the United States, 20 candidates of the Democratic Party will descend on Miami on Wednesday and Thursday for the first Democratic presidential debate.

The debate will be held at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida on Wednesday and Thursday night from 11pm Kenyan time.

The 20 candidates are expected to be grilled on all things policy, party and news of the day.

Due to the unusually high number of candidates, the DNC broke up the debate into two nights, and 10 candidates will participate on each night.

The face off serves as a microcosm for broader questions looming over the field, one chief among them: Should candidates attack each other more aggressively or focus their fire on President Donald Trump?

The two sets of debates provides the best opportunity for the candidates will to stand out from the rest and pick up some semblance of momentum headed into the summer and next round of debates next month.

After that, the Democratic National Committee will raise the threshold to qualify for the debates, making it even harder for candidates to make the cut.

To be among the 20 candidates appearing on the debate, one was to hit 1% support in three states or national polls approved by the DNC be among the most trusted and reliable. The other was to raise money from 65,000 unique donors, with a minimum of 200 in 20 different states.

On deciding who among the candidates was to appear on which night, candidates were split into two groups: those polling on average 2% or higher, and those with less support. The names were then picked randomly from each group to ensure a mix on both nights.

Several top contenders including former Vice President Joe Biden; Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California; and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg — will debate Thursday night, with Biden and Sanders at center stage. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, another in the top tier, will be center stage Wednesday night, alongside former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.