DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL DEBATE: DES MOINES
CNN, 9:00 p.m. ET
Tonight’s live event on CNN is the seventh Democratic debate presenting hopeful contenders for that party’s nomination for presidential candidate – and because of the Democratic National Committee’s evolving and increasingly disqualifying rules, the field of debaters has narrowed significantly. The first debate, split into two equal presentations, made room for 20 contenders. And now, on stage, there are six. Tom Steyer’s millions of dollars in TV ads in Iowa have won him a qualifying spot and podium, thanks to his sudden surge in state polls there. He joins Iowa front-runners Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren, as well as persistent contenders Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar. Others wait in the wings, or have recently dropped out – but on stage, tonight, the topics should be lively. And that counts whether the topics are major (Senate impeachment trial rules, Russian interference in the coming election, justification for recent actions against Iran) or minor (the recent reported dispute between Warren and Sanders).