The One to Watch

If you have not watched any of the previous presidential debates, this is the one to watch. For the first time in the 2020 election cycle, the top candidates share one stage on one night.

Gone is the second night of similar questions that took place during the first and second debates. There are 10 candidates on stage, not 20 people. Since the July 30 and 31 debate in Detroit, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand of New York, former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington and Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts dropped out of the race.

All this happens at Texas Southern University, one of the largest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), during the middle of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference. There is so much to unpack here.

Just imagine the scene for a moment. An HBCU and a Black woman journalist are among the co-hosts of the first real one-stage debate…finally! We asked, they listened.

ABC News and Univision journalists George Stephanopoulos, David Muir, Linsey Davis and Jorge Ramos will moderate the discussion. Davis is the first Black woman journalist to ask questions in a 2020 debate.

This past April, Texas Sothern University held another historical event: the one and only presidential candidate forum organized by and for women of color, known as the She, The People Forum. The sisters from 30 plus women’s organizations including Sisters Lead Sisters Vote, unlike the Democratic Party, had enough cultural sensitivity to NOT make Black political thought leaders choose between the Congressional Black Caucus 48^th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC and a presidential debate in Houston.

Moving on…

The 10 contenders, as they will appear on stage, are:

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Former Vice President Joe Biden
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Sen. Kamala Harris of California
Andrew Yang, a tech businessman
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas
Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro

We can look forward to Warren and Biden answering the same question with Sanders joining the conversation. Voters can see a side-by-side comparison of the top three contenders, according to several polls.

The Democratic National Committee defined the third set of debaters as candidates who received two percent in at least four polls, that’s an increase of one percentage point and an additional poll since Detroit. As if that was not hard enough, presidential wannabes had to have at least 130,000 unique donors, a minimum of 400 per state in at least 20 states. The next debate in Ohio has the same qualifications with more time, so it is possible for more candidates to join it.

Among the candidates who did not meet the threshold requirements are billionaire Tom Steyer, US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, author Marianne Williamson, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, Mayor Bill De Blasio of New York City, former US Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, Mayor Wayne Messam of Miramar, Florida, US Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio and former US Rep. Joe Sestek of Pennsylvania.

With 10 fewer people answering questions, candidates will have time to move beyond the soundbites. The new rules allow one minute and 15 seconds for direct questions and 45 seconds for rebuttals if another candidate mentions his or her name. That is 15 more seconds for both types of responses.  It may not sound like a lot, but much can be said in 15 seconds.

Perhaps in the additional time voters can hear more step-by-step explanations of policy solutions from candidates. By posting on social media platforms debate watchers have an opportunity to inspire better questions and answers. Follow #SisterWatch for ideas during the debate on Thursday, September 12 from 8 pm ET to 11 pm ET.

Holli L. Holliday is president of Sisters Lead Sisters Vote, a nonprofit c4 organization for, by and of black women.