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Debates took place amongcandidates inthe campaign for theDemocratic Party's nomination for thepresident of the United States in the2020 presidential election.

There were a total of 29 major Democratic candidates. Of these, 23 candidates participated in at least one debate. OnlyJoe Biden andBernie Sanders participated in all the debates;Pete Buttigieg,Amy Klobuchar, andElizabeth Warren participated in all but the final debate.

D1
Miami

D2
Detroit

D3
Houston

D4
Westerville

D5
Atlanta

D6
LA

D7
Des Moines

D8
Manchester

D9
Paradise

D10
Charleston

D11
Washington, D.C.

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Sites of the eleven Democratic presidential debates.

In December 2018, theDemocratic National Committee (DNC) announced the schedule for 12 official DNC-sanctioned debates, set to begin in June 2019, with six debates in 2019 and the remaining six during the first four months of 2020. Candidates were allowed to participate inforums featuring multiple other candidates as long as only one candidate appeared on stage at a time. Any presidential candidates who participated in unsanctioned debates with each other would have lost their invitations to the next DNC-sanctioned debate.^[1][2] No unsanctioned debates took place during the 2019–2020 debate season.

The DNC also announced that it would not partner withFox News as a media sponsor for any debates.^[3][4] Fox News last held a Democratic debate in 2003.^[5] All media sponsors selected to host a debate were as a new rule required to appoint at least one female moderator for each debate, to ensure there would not be a gender-skewed treatment of the candidates and debate topics.^[6]

The following is a table of participating candidates in each debate:

To qualify for the first debates, entrants had to, at a minimum, achieve one of the two criteria listed. If this had resulted in more than 20 qualified candidates, the two criteria would have been evaluated in combination per an outlined set oftiebreaking rules, but since 20 candidates qualified, no tiebreaker was necessary.^[57] The deadline for candidates to meet either of the below criteria was June 12.^[58][59]

External videos
NBC News / MSNBC Democratic Debate, Miami, Florida, June 26, 2019 June 27, 2019
June 26 Live Stream Recording, NBC NewsviaYouTube[87]
June 27 Live Stream Recording, NBC NewsviaYouTube[88]

TheDemocratic Party's first presidential debates ahead of the2020 U.S. presidential election were held in two groups on June 26 and 27, 2019, inMiami,Florida.

Starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, they aired onNBC and were broadcast on radio byWestwood One.Savannah Guthrie was the lead moderator of the debates, joined byLester Holt,Chuck Todd,Rachel Maddow, andJosé Díaz-Balart.

The DNC drew lots among the 20 qualified candidates for the first debate to determine whether they should debate on the first night (June 26) or second night (June 27) at theNBC News headquarters (30 Rockefeller Plaza) inNew York City on June 14. The qualified candidates or their representatives were present and involved at the drawing event,^[89] which was not televised.^[90]

The debates took place at theArsht Center inMiami,Florida. The first night of the debate was marked by a noted dust-up between O'Rourke and Castro on the subject of immigration, which Castro was widely perceived to have won, while Warren met expectations as a top-tier candidate. In addition, Booker and Klobuchar each had their moment in the spotlight, Klobuchar in particular being noted for her one-liners, one of which was about acknowledging that, for the first time in U.S. history, there were at least three women on stage at a presidential debate.^[91][92] Gabbard took on Ryan over continuing theUS presence in Afghanistan.^[93] Booker, Castro, and O'Rourke all spoke Spanish at different times during the debate, which received mixed reception and was met with jokes from second-night competitors Williamson and Yang on Twitter.^[94][95] On night two, Harris and Biden clashed over Biden's past comments about working with segregationist senators and his stance ondesegregation busing.^[96] The second night was also notable for the performance of Williamson, who received significant attention for comments she made during the debate perceived as strange, including a reference to thePrime Minister of New ZealandJacinda Ardern.^[97][98]

Before these debates, no major party had ever seen more than one female candidate on a presidential debate stage.^[99]

The criteria for qualifying for the second debates were the same as for the first debates.^[101] To qualify for the second debates, debate entrants had to, at minimum, comply with one of the two below listed criteria.^[57] Mike Gravel was not invited to the debates since he only met the donor threshold, which was given a lesser weight than the polling threshold.^[102] The deadline for candidates to meet either of the below criteria was July 16.^[103]

TheDemocratic Party's second presidential debates ahead of the2020 U.S. presidential election were held on July 30 and 31, 2019, inDetroit,Michigan.

Starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, they aired onCNN and were broadcast on radio byWestwood One.Jake Tapper was the lead moderator of the debates, joined byDana Bash andDon Lemon.

The drawing of lots among the 20 invited candidates to determine when they will debate was televised inprime time on July 18.^[109] There were three tiers of candidates that were split between two nights, as opposed to the two tiers used in the first debates.^[110]

In total, 21 candidates qualified for the second debate. The 14 candidates who met both criteria (Biden, Sanders, Warren, Harris, Buttigieg, O'Rourke, Booker, Klobuchar, Castro, Yang, Gabbard, Gillibrand, Inslee, and Williamson) and the six candidates who met the polling criterion only (Ryan, Hickenlooper, Delaney, de Blasio, Bennet, and Bullock) were invited to participate in the debate. Gravel, the one candidate to qualify by the donor criterion only, was not invited because of the 20-candidate limit and the polling criterion's precedence over the donor criterion as mandated by the DNC. The set of participants for the second debate was identical to the first debates with one exception: Bullock replaced Swalwell, who suspended his campaign between the first and second debates.^[102]

The debate on July 30 featured Bullock, Buttigieg, Delaney, Hickenlooper, Klobuchar, O'Rourke, Ryan, Sanders, Warren and Williamson, while the debate on July 31 featured Bennet, Biden, Booker, Castro, de Blasio, Gabbard, Gillibrand, Harris, Inslee and Yang.^[49][111] Both debates took place at theFox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.

The overarching theme on the first night was a clash between moderates and progressives on a variety of issues, ranging fromMedicare for All to electability.^[112]CNN received criticism for allegedly inciting conflicts between candidates and making questions from Republican talking points, as well as enforcing the time limits too strictly.^[113] The second night saw significant discussion centered on candidates' differing health care plans. Additionally, Gabbard went on the offensive against Harris.^[114][115]

Each of the first two debates took place during two consecutive nights, with a maximum of 10 candidates per night. The DNC, at a public event before each debate, drew lots among the qualified candidates to determine whether they shall debate on the first or second night.^[116][117] This drawing procedure was designed to avoid the appearance of a "kiddie table" debate where the lowest polling candidates were grouped together with no leading candidates, which happened during the2016 Republican Party presidential debates.^[118]

The third debate took place at theHealth and Physical Education Arena on the campus ofTexas Southern University inHouston,Texas. For participation in the third debate, candidates were required to meet both polling and fundraising criteria by August 28 (in comparison to the first and second debates, where only one criterion was necessary). Qualifying polls had to be released between June 28 and August 28.^[119] Five candidates (Gravel, Hickenlooper, Inslee, Moulton, and Gillibrand) suspended their campaigns between the second and third debates.

On August 23, the Gabbard campaigncriticized the DNC's purported lack of transparency in the process of selecting organizations/institutions to sponsor polls and how better-ranked polls were excluded. The campaign also highlighted the stark reduction in poll frequency, especially in early primary states,^[120] after the second debate compared to after the first debate and how they believed that that was "particularly harmful" to candidates with lower name recognition.^[121] The campaigns of Marianne Williamson,^[122] Tom Steyer,^[123] and Michael Bennet^[124][125] also requested that the DNC increase the number of certified polls by expanding the list of certified poll sponsoring organizations.

External videos
ABC News/Univision Democratic Debate, Houston, Texas, September 12, 2019
Live Stream Recording, ABC NewsviaYouTube[143]
Live Stream Recording, UnivisionviaYouTube[144]

TheDemocratic Party's third presidential debate ahead of the2020 U.S. presidential election took place on September 12, 2019, inHouston,Texas.

It aired onABC News andUnivision.George Stephanopoulos was the lead moderator of the debate, joined byDavid Muir, Linsey Davis, andJorge Ramos.^[145]

The candidates who qualified for the third debate were Biden, Booker, Buttigieg, Castro, Harris, Klobuchar, O'Rourke, Sanders, Warren, and Yang.^[50]

A memo released by the DNC on August 5 indicated that the qualification period for the fourth debate in October started on June 28, which was the same day that qualification began for the third debate (in effect allowing all candidates who qualified for the third debate to automatically qualify for the fourth debate). This gave candidates who did not qualify for the September debate more time to qualify for the October debate.^[147] Biden, Booker, Buttigieg, Castro, Harris, Klobuchar, O'Rourke, Sanders, Warren, and Yang qualified before August 22,^[148] while Steyer and Gabbard qualified on September 8^[149] and September 24 respectively.^[150] The qualification deadline for the fourth debate was October 1, 2019.^[151] One candidate (de Blasio) suspended his campaign between the third and fourth debates.^[152]

External videos
CNN The New York Times Democratic Debate, Westerville, Ohio October 15, 2019
CNN Replay, CNNviaFacebook[156]
full video – Part 1[157]
full video – Part 2[158]
full video – Part 3[159]
full video – Part 4[160]
full video – Parts 1,2,3,4[161]

TheDemocratic Party's fourth presidential debate was held on Tuesday October 15, 2019, inWesterville,Ohio,^[162] from 8 to 11 p.m. EDT.^[163] On September 27, the DNC announced that the debate would include all 12 candidates on one night, although some had assumed it would take place on two nights since it had more than 10 participants. From left to right, the candidates were: Gabbard (who missed the previous debate), Steyer (in his first debate), Booker, Harris, Sanders, Biden and Warren (who shared center stage), Buttigieg, Yang, O'Rourke, Klobuchar, and Castro. Podium order for the debate was determined based on an average of the 10 most recently released qualifying polls.CNN anchorsErin Burnett andAnderson Cooper andNew York Times national editorMarc Lacey served as the debate moderators.^[164]

The debate aired exclusively on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español, and was streamed on CNN.com's homepage and NYTimes.com's homepage. The debate also streamed live on the following Facebook Pages: CNN, CNN International, CNN Politics, CNN Replay, AC360 and Erin Burnett OutFront.

In addition, the debate was available across mobile devices via CNN's and New York Times' apps for iOS and Android, via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Android TV, SiriusXM Channels 116, 454 and 795, the Westwood One Radio Network and National Public Radio.^[165]

The Ohio debate featured 12 candidates, setting a record for the highest number of candidates in one presidential debate.

A memo released by the DNC on September 23 indicated that the qualification period for the November debate started on September 13, and ended on November 13. To qualify in terms of polling, candidates needed to reach three percent or more in four polls approved by the DNC. Alternatively, reaching five percent or more in two DNC-approved polls conducted in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina was also accepted as meeting the polling threshold. To qualify in terms of donors, candidates needed to receive donations from 165,000 unique donors with 600 unique donors in 20 different states, territories or the District of Columbia.^[167] Three candidates (Messam, O'Rourke, and Ryan) suspended their campaigns between the fourth and fifth debates.

TheDemocratic Party's fifth presidential debate was held on November 20, 2019, from 9 to 11:20 p.m. ET,^[25] atTyler Perry Studios inAtlanta,Georgia.^{[181][182][22]} It was moderated byRachel Maddow,Andrea Mitchell,Kristen Welker andAshley Parker.^[25]

The candidates who qualified were Biden, Booker, Buttigieg, Gabbard, Harris, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer, Warren and Yang.^[52]

A memo released by the DNC on October 25 indicated that the qualification period for the December debate started on October 16, and ended on December 12. To qualify in terms of polling, candidates had to reach four percent or more in four polls approved by the DNC. Alternatively, reaching six percent or more in two DNC-approved polls conducted in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, or South Carolina was also accepted as meeting the polling threshold. To qualify in terms of donors, candidates had to receive donations from 200,000 unique donors with 800 unique donors in 20 different states, territories or the District of Columbia.^[184]

External videos
PBS NewsHour Politico Democratic Debate, Los Angeles, California, December 19, 2019
Live Stream Recording, PoliticoviaYouTube[198]
Live Stream Recording, PBS NewsHourviaYouTube[199]

TheDemocratic Party's sixth presidential debate was held on December 19, 2019, at 8 p.m. ET^[53] atLoyola Marymount University inLos Angeles,California,^[28] and was hosted byPBS NewsHour andPolitico.^[200] It was initially set to be held at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles.^[201] However, the DNC announced on November 6 that UCLA was no longer hosting the debate due to a labor dispute.^[202] Three candidates (Sestak, Bullock and Harris) suspended their campaigns between the fifth and sixth Democratic debates; Harris would have qualified for the sixth debate had her campaign continued.

Gabbard, a few days before failing to qualify for the debate,^[53] announced on December 9 that she would not participate regardless of whether she qualifies.^[203]

The debate aired on Politico.com, PBS, and CNN.^[26]

The candidates who qualified were Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer, Warren and Yang.^[53] Highlights included: an exchange between Buttigieg, Warren, and Sanders about campaign financing (including mention of a Buttigieg fundraiser in aNapa Valleywine cave), differences between Klobuchar and Buttigieg on the issue of experience, and a discussion about health care between Sanders and Biden. The candidates were in agreement about theimpeachment of Donald Trump, which had been approved by the House of Representatives the day before. Sanders and Klobuchar had a disagreement about theUnited States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, with the former opposed to and the latter in favor of ratification. Yang, the only candidate of color, expressed lament that Kamala Harris and Cory Booker were absent, and declared that hisuniversal-basic-income proposal would diversify the field. Sanders, Biden, and Warren parried a question about age.^[204][205] Steyer stated that climate change would be his top priority as president, and the issue was discussed at length by all the candidates.^[206][207]

The Chinese government censored a live feed of the debate after moderatorJudy Woodruff asked Pete Buttigieg if the U.S. should boycott the2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing over China's allegedhuman rights abuses of Uyghur citizens.^[208]

A memo released by the DNC on December 20 indicated that the qualification period for the January debate started on November 14, 2019, and ended on January 10, 2020. A candidate needed to meet both polling and donor criteria. Candidates had to reach 5% or more in four polls approved by the DNC, or 7% or more in two DNC-approved polls conducted in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, or South Carolina. In addition, candidates must have received donations from 225,000 unique donors, including 1,000 unique donors in 20 different states, territories or the District of Columbia.^[210] The candidates who qualified were Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer and Warren.^[54] This debate stage featured all of the candidates from the sixth debate except for Yang. Steyer qualified with 2 early-state polls on the penultimate day to qualify, while the other five all qualified much earlier. Yang and Booker met the fundraising criterion but failed to meet the polling criteria. Bloomberg met polling criteria but not the fundraising criterion, as he was not then asking for donations.^[211] Three candidates (Castro, Williamson and Booker) suspended their campaigns between the sixth and seventh debates, with Booker dropping out two days after the qualifying candidates were announced.

TheDemocratic Party's seventh presidential debate was held from 8 to 10:15 p.m. CT^[30] on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, atDrake University inDes Moines,Iowa. It was hosted byCNN andThe Des Moines Register.^[32] Several sources noted an exchange between Warren and Sanders. They discussed Warren's accusation that Sanders told her privately that women could not successfully win the presidency. Sanders flatly denied this accusation and pointed to his deference to Warren before running for president in 2016. Warren insisted that Sanders had said women could not win and pointed out that the women on stage had not lost any election, while the men on stage had lost 10 elections combined.^[216]

At the end of the debate when candidates were shaking hands with one another, Warren was seen declining a handshake from Bernie Sanders; the two candidates then appeared to argue with each other. It was later revealed that Warren commented to Sanders, "I think you called me a liar on national TV." Sanders replied, "Let's not do it right now. You want to have that discussion, we'll have that discussion. You called me a liar."^[217]

The qualifications for the eighth debate were similar to those for the January debate (5% nationally/early states, or 7% in early states, this time excluding Iowa) except for the added provision that all candidates who gained at least one pledged delegate in theIowa caucus (which is expected to apply only to candidates supported by at least 15% of the final votes statewide or in a district) would also automatically qualify for the debate.^[219] Candidates had until February 6 to qualify.^[220]

The candidates who qualified included Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer, Warren, and Yang.^[55]

One candidate (Delaney) suspended his campaign between the seventh and eighth debates.^[221]

External videos
ABC News Democratic Debate, Manchester, New Hampshire, February 7, 2020
Live Stream Recording, ABC NewsviaYouTube[227]

TheDemocratic Party's eighth presidential debate was held from 8–10:30 p.m. ET^[35] on Friday, February 7, 2020, atSaint Anselm College inManchester,New Hampshire. It was hosted by ABC's New Hampshire affiliateWMUR-TV andApple News.^[228]

Emerging as frontrunners after the Iowa caucuses, Buttigieg and Sanders came under attack by other candidates. Klobuchar questioned Buttigieg on his lack of political experience, whereas Biden pressed Sanders to clarify how he would fundMedicare For All and brought up his past stances on gun control, citing Sanders's votes against theBrady Bill in the 1990s. Moderator Linsey Davis also inquired Buttigieg on the rise in marijuana-related incarcerations of African Americans inSouth Bend during his tenure as mayor, which he attributed to "systemic racism". Candidates also voiced praise for SenatorMitt Romney of Utah, who was the only Republican senator to vote against Donald Trump's acquittal in hisSenate impeachment trial two days earlier, and Lt. Col.Alexander Vindman, who was fired from theNational Security Council by Trump after serving as a key witness on the trial.^[229] On the topic of campaign finance, Elizabeth Warren stated that political action committees had assisted all of the non-billionaire candidates except for Amy Klobuchar and herself. Another prominent issue discussed in the debate was abortion, with several candidates pledging to only supportSupreme Court nominees who will uphold abortion rights and pushed for thecodification ofRoe v. Wade.^[230]

The DNC announced on January 31 that it was eliminating the donor threshold as a debate qualification requirement for any debate following the New Hampshire debate on February 7,^[232] which prompted criticism from several candidates as it was perceived to accommodate Bloomberg, who is not accepting individual donations. The polling thresholds were drastically increased since the last debate, with candidates now having to reach 10% in DNC-approved national polls or 12% in early state polls conducted in Nevada and South Carolina. Candidates who won at least one pledged delegate in theIowa caucuses orNew Hampshire primary were automatically qualified for the debate. Candidates had until February 18 to qualify.^[233]

The candidates who qualified included Biden, Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, and Warren. Three candidates (Yang, Bennet, and Patrick) suspended their campaigns between the eighth and ninth debates.^[56]

External videos
NBC News / MSNBC Democratic Debate, Las Vegas, Nevada, February 20, 2020
Live Stream Recording, NBC NewsviaYouTube[238]

TheDemocratic Party's ninth presidential debate was held from 6–8 p.m. PST^[239] on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, atParis Las Vegas inParadise,Nevada. It was hosted byNBC News andMSNBC, in partnership withThe Nevada Independent.^[228]

Bloomberg, who made his debate stage debut after qualifying only a day prior,^[240] was widely regarded by multiple news outlets as having performed poorly.^[241][242] Bloomberg's political and personal record came under heavy scrutiny by other candidates, including his previous support ofstop-and-frisk policies during his tenure asmayor of New York City. The controversial program, which disproportionately targeted racial minorities, was referred to by Biden as "abhorrent" and "a violation of every right people have".^[243] Warren reprimanded Bloomberg for his recently resurfaced derogatory comments on women and called for him to rescind thenon-disclosure agreements he signed with several ofhis company's former female employees over sexual harassment and workplace discrimination, accusing Bloomberg of attempting to "muzzle" them.^[244]

Sanders's electability was also brought up in the debate, when moderatorLester Holt mentioned the findings of a recentNBC News/Wall Street Journal poll which showed that two thirds of American voters would not be comfortable with a socialist presidential candidate; Sanders retorted by touting his wide lead over other candidates in the same poll.^[245][246] Bloomberg criticized Sanders's advocacy ofdemocratic socialism by comparing it to communism, which Sanders dismissed as a "cheap shot", arguing that his economic policies were closer toNordic social democracy.^[247][248] Buttigieg, meanwhile, branded both Sanders and Bloomberg as polarizing figures who would further divide the party if one of them were to receive the nomination.^[249]

Healthcare was another issue discussed by the candidates, in light of theCulinary Workers Union's recent criticism that Sanders'sMedicare for All policy would replace their existing union healthcare in favor of a government plan.^[250] In response, Sanders defended his plan by saying that it would expand, rather than take away, healthcare benefits for union members.^[251] Warren attacked Buttigieg and Klobuchar on their more moderate healthcare plans, likening their lack of details to a "PowerPoint" presentation and "Post-it Note" respectively.^[252] On the other hand, Klobuchar argued that Sanders's Medicare for All proposal would be too radical to garner enough support in the Senate, whereas Buttigieg expressed disapproval at the idea of letting the government decide what healthcare plan is best for unions, calling it "condescension and arrogance".^[253]

The televised debate drew a combined 19.7 million viewers on NBC and MSNBC, making it the most-watched Democratic primary debate of all time.^[254]

The qualification criteria remained largely unchanged from the last debate, with candidates having to either garner at least 10% support in DNC-approved national polls or 12% in early state polls conducted in the remaining state of South Carolina in order to meet the polling threshold. Candidates could also qualify via the delegate threshold by winning at least one pledged delegate inIowa,New Hampshire orNevada. The qualification deadline for the debate was February 24.^[256]

All candidates still in the race at the time (Biden, Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer and Warren), except for Gabbard, qualified for the debate.^[257]

External videos
CBS News Democratic Debate, Charleston, South Carolina, February 25, 2020
Live Stream Recording, CBS NewsviaYouTube[262]

TheDemocratic Party's tenth presidential debate was held from 8–10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at theGaillard Center inCharleston,South Carolina. It was hosted byCBS News and theCongressional Black Caucus Institute in partnership withTwitter, and aired onCBS andBET.^[228]

Following his landslide victory in Nevada the prior week, Sanders was targeted by several other candidates who attempted to dampen his momentum going into the upcomingSouth Carolina andSuper Tuesday primaries. Biden hit Sanders on the issue of gun control by drawing a contrast between Sanders's voting record and his own, noting that he was a consistent supporter of more stringent gun regulations throughout his Senate career. Biden highlighted his role in passing legislation to expanduniversal background checks and extendwaiting periods for purchasing guns, while pointing out that Sanders previously had a relatively moderate stance on gun control, voting against theBrady Bill and in favor of thePLCAA during his tenure as a congressman.^[263] However, his claim that "150 million people have been killed since 2007" by guns was fact-checked byCNN as being incorrect, with a Biden campaign spokesperson suggesting that he might have intended to say 150,000.^[264] Sanders expressed regret at his decisions, admitting that he has "cast thousands of votes, including bad votes", and noted that he had a D-minus rating from theNRA Political Victory Fund.^[265]

Foreign policy was extensively discussed by the candidates, which took up about 25 minutes of the debate.^[266] Sanders and Bloomberg clashed over past comments they have made regarding foreign authoritarian leaders; Bloomberg emphasized recent allegations that Russian PresidentVladimir Putin was trying to prop up the Sanders campaign.^[267] When Sanders's praise forFidel Castro's literacy programs in Cuba on60 Minutes was brought up by Bloomberg, Sanders responded by calling out Bloomberg's refusal to call China'sparamount leaderXi Jinping a dictator in an interview,^[268] and pointed out thatBarack Obama had also previously praised Cuba's healthcare and education. This provoked a reaction from Biden, who said that while Obama did acknowledge Cuba's progress in increasing life expectancy during a 2016 town hall, he did not "in any way suggest that there was anything positive about the Cuban government" and proceeded to condemn the dictatorial regime.^[269]

The debate moderators received staunch criticism for focusing too much on narrowly focused policy issues, failure to keep control of the candidates' speaking times, allowing candidates to interrupt other candidates during their allotted speaking times, applying the debate rules regarding giving candidates time to respond to personal attacks in a non-equitable way, and for permitting the audience to boo and jeer certain candidates without consequence. Both Biden and Sanders criticized the moderators on stage for failing to enforce the debate rules.^[270][271] The crowd's negative reception of Sanders led to the proliferation of rumors on social media that the debate audience had been "stacked against" him, pointing to the high entry costs which ranged from $1,750 to $3,200 as evidence. TheDemocratic National Committee has denied this claim, explaining that the debate tickets were allocated among political organizations (DNC,CBCI andSCDP) and media entities (CBS and Twitter) hosting the debate as well as participating candidates' campaigns, with each campaign being given an equal quota. Tickets were guaranteed to sponsors, and the ticket costs referred to the cost of sponsorship.^[272]

External videos
CNN/Univision/Congressional Hispanic Caucus Democratic Debate, Washington, D.C., March 15, 2020
full video – Part 1[275]
full video – Part 2[276]
full video – Part 3[277]
full video – Part 4[278]
full video – Part 5[279]
full video – Part 6[280]

CNN,Univision, and theCongressional Hispanic Caucus hosted the eleventh debate inWashington, D.C., from 8 P.M. to 10 P.M. Eastern Time.^[281]

Five candidates (Steyer, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Bloomberg, and Warren) suspended their campaigns between the tenth and eleventh debates.^{[282][283][284][285][286]} On March 6, the DNC announced that qualification would be based on "earning at least 20 percent of delegates awarded by March 15",^[287] as calculated by theAssociated Press orCNN.^[288]

The Democratic National Committee announced on March 10 that the debate would no longer allow a live audience, nor would press (beyond CNN and Univision) be allowed to attend, due to fears about thespread of the coronavirus.^[289]

On March 12, the Democratic National Committee announced that the March 15 debate, originally scheduled to take place at theArizona Federal Theatre^[290] inPhoenix, Arizona, would instead be held at CNN's studio in Washington, D.C.^[291] It also announced thatJorge Ramos was no longer a moderator because he had contact with a person with coronavirus.^[47]