Updated Feb 23, 2020 - Politics & Policy

What to know about the South Carolina Democratic debate

2020 candidates at the Nov. 20 Democratic debate in Atlanta. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

CBS anchors Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell will be the two main moderators for the upcoming Democratic debate in South Carolina, the network announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: The Feb. 25 debate in Charleston, South Carolina, is the final one before the South Carolina primary on Feb. 29 and Super Tuesday on March 3. The debate will run from 8-10 p.m. ET. It will air live on CBS, BET and Twitter, with the Congressional Black Caucus Institute joining CBS News as partners.

  • The debate will also see both billionaire candidates — former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer — take the stage together for the first time.

The hosts:

  • CBS News' Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell will moderate. They will be joined for questioning by Margaret Brennan, Major Garrett and Bill Whitaker.

The criteria:

  • Candidates must receive at least 10% in four polls approved by the DNC, 12% in two South Carolina polls, or win at least one pledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada.
  • The qualifying window for polls begins on Feb. 4 and ends a minute before midnight ET on Feb. 24.

The candidates who have qualified:

  1. Joe Biden
  2. Elizabeth Warren
  3. Bernie Sanders
  4. Pete Buttigieg
  5. Amy Klobuchar
  6. Mike Bloomberg
  7. Tom Steyer

Go deeper: Phoenix to host Democratic debate in March

Editor’s note: This post has been corrected to show that the South Carolina debate will be held Feb. 25 (not Feb. 23).

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