The candidate lineups for the upcoming Democratic presidential debates in Detroit will be decided by a live, random draw tonight during a special edition of Anderson Cooper 360 at 8 p.m. ET on CNN.
The Democratic National Committee informed 20 candidates Wednesday evening that each had qualified to participate in one of two, party-sanctioned debates airing July 30 and 31 on CNN.
The candidates also learned the random draw will be split into three parts to determine the lineups for each debate night. CNN and the DNC said they decided to establish three groupings “to ensure support for the candidates is evenly spread across both nights.” Public polling was used to decide each grouping, CNN and DNC officials said.
Here are the groupings:
The first draw will include 10 candidates:
- Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
- New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
- Washington Gov. Jay Inslee
- Best-selling author and activist Marianne Williamson
- Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet
- Montana Gov. Steve Bullock
- New York Mayor Bill de Blasio
- Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney
- Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
- Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan
The second draw will include six candidates:
- New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
- South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
- Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke
- Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang
- Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro
The final draw will include four candidates:
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
- California Sen. Kamala Harris