UW–Madison experts will live-tweet commentary on the third round of Democratic presidential candidates debate tonight from Memorial Union.
There are 10 candidates who qualified for a spot in the debate, fulfilling stricter requirements set by the Democratic National Committee, according to ABC News.
“With September’s stricter debate rules, we’ll see for the top tier candidates sharing the debate stage — including Warren and Biden together for the first time,” said Eleanor Powell, an assistant professor of political science at UW-Madison.
Experts from UW–Madison’s Elections Research Center — Powell, David Canon, Kathy Cramer, Ken Mayer and Michael Wagner — plan to live-tweet the debate using the hashtag #UW2020debate. Prior to the debate, these experts weighed in on what to expect from candidates this evening.
“The third Democratic presidential debate will feature all of the leading candidates on the same stage for the first time,” Canon said. “Also, the top ten Democratic candidates will have a little more time for their answers and rebuttals than the first two debates.”
Wagner hoped candidates use this time to clearly establish their platforms for viewers.
“Hopefully the debate gives viewers an opportunity to distinguish platitudes from plans, and provides an opportunity for people to get some insight into how the candidates would make important decisions as president,” Wagner said.
Cramer expects candidates will look to distinguish themselves from leading candidate Joe Biden as well as President Trump.
“I’ll be listening for whether and how any of the candidates try to convince the general public that they might be a uniter in these divisive times,” Cramer said.
