Miami to Host First Democratic Presidential Debate

Miami will be the site of the first Democratic presidential debate.

That's according to NBC, whose NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo platforms will be carrying the kickoff to the 2020 election cycle.

The debate will be held over two nights (June 26 and 27) given the size of the field currently in the running, with likely more to come.

The prime time debate will be translated in real time into Spanish on Telemundo and will streamed on NBCNews.com. NBC News' mobile app, OTT apps and Telemundo's digital platforms.

Given Miami's large Hispanic population, the venue is appropriate given that it is the first time in history that a Spanish-language outlet has co-hosted a Democratic primary debate.

“We are honored to be the first Spanish-language network to bring the first democratic presidential primary debate to the U.S. Hispanic audience, right here from our own back yard,” said Cesar Conde, chairman, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. "We are living at a critical time that could redefine the role of the Hispanic community in our country. We want to ensure Hispanics are engaged and have access to trustworthy, reliable and relevant information to make decisions from the moment the 2020 electoral cycle starts.”

The second debate will be in July on the platforms of CNN. No venue yet for that square-off.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.