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DNC releases names of 20 qualifying candidates for second round of debates

In this image, Buttigieg, Biden, Bernie and Harris stand at separate podiums on the debate stage.
Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris speak during the first round of Democratic primary debate on June 27, 2019. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

The Democratic National Committee released on Wednesday the names of the 20 presidential candidates who have qualified for the second round of debates scheduled for July 30-31 in Detroit.

The big picture: It's only going get more challenging for candidates to meet debate requirements moving forward. In September, the requirements for candidates will double. The Democrats' massive 2020 field has put pressure on the DNC to focus its primary on those who can really challenge President Trump.

The participants

  1. Former Vice President Joe Biden *
  2. Sen. Bernie Sanders *
  3. Sen. Kamala Harris *
  4. Sen. Elizabeth Warren *
  5. Mayor Pete Buttigieg *
  6. Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke *
  7. Sen. Cory Booker *
  8. Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang *
  9. Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro *
  10. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard *
  11. Sen. Amy Klobuchar *
  12. Marianne Williamson *
  13. Gov. Jay Inslee *
  14. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand *
  15. Former Rep. John Delaney
  16. Former Gov. John Hickenlooper
  17. Rep. Tim Ryan
  18. Sen. Michael Bennet
  19. Mayor Bill de Blasio
  20. Gov. Steve Bullock — who did not participate in the June debates

Candidates with asterisks next to their names qualified through both polling at 1% in 3 qualifying polls and reaching the 65,000-donor threshold.

  • Those who didn't qualify: Seth Moulton, Mike Gravel, Wayne Messam and Tom Steyer, who just entered the race.

Go deeper: What you need to know about every 2020 candidate in under 500 words

2020 Democratic debates