NBC News, "Decision 2020," the Democratic candidates debate,
live from the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami, Florida, June 26-27, 2019.

• The Democratic primary debates in Miami occured during two evenings, July 26 & 27, 2019, for two hours each, with ten candodates each.

• The first evening's Presidential candidates: Sen. Cory Booker, former Secretary Julián Castro, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rep. John Delaney, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Gov. Jay Inslee, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Rep. Tim Ryan, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

• The second evening's Presidential candidates: Colorado Senator Michael Bennet. Former Vice President Joe Biden. South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. California Senator Kamala Harris. Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. California Congressman Eric Swalwell. Author Marianne Williamson. And former tech executive Andrew Yang.

• The ten participants in each debate were selected randomly (unlike the "two-tiered" system of the Republicans in 2016, which led to accusations of having "the kiddie table.")

• A candidate qualifies for the debates by exceeding 1% in three Democratic-party-approved polls, OR they can show "grassroots support"...

• A candidate shows "grassroots support" by exceeding 65,000 donors in at least 20 states, with at least 200 unique donors per state.

• Since the number of qualifiying candidates exceeded 20, the "poll-based qualifiers" got preference over the "donor-based qualifiers," ranked by polling results.

• Candidates who did not make the cut for the first debate include: former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel; Florida mayor Wayne Messam; Montana Governor Steve Bullock; Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton; and Navy Admiral Joe Sestak.

• Hosted by NBC News and Telemundo; moderated by Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow, and José Díaz-Balart; the debates took place at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida.

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Bernie Sanders: Medicare-for-All will protect women's constitutional right.     Kirsten Gillibrand: Women's reproductive rights are under assault.     Jay Inslee: Require that all health insurers cover the right of choice.     Julian Castro: I believe in reproductive freedom and reproductive justice.

Budget & Economy     Bernie Sanders: $21T increase in wealth to top 1%.     Joe Biden: I got GOP Senators to vote for stimulus & other funding.     Kamala Harris: Economic numbers conceal more than reveal.

Civil Rights     Joe Biden: I didn't praise racists; pro-civil rights as public defender.     Joe Biden: I didn't oppose busing; I opposed DOE ordering it.     Kamala Harris: Biden worked with racist senators to oppose busing.     Kamala Harris: Federal government protects civil rights when states fail.     Kirsten Gillibrand: Publicly funded elections returns power to the people.     Cory Booker: Threats to LGBTQ people can no longer be ignored.     Julian Castro: Racial and social justice as important as economic justice.     Julian Castro: Pass ERA to ensure equal rights & equal pay for women.     Tulsi Gabbard: No one in government should tell anyone who they can love.

Corporations     Bernie Sanders: Stand up against healthcare companies' billions in profits.     Bernie Sanders: Nothing will change if we don't have the guts to fight.     Joe Biden: Wall Street didn't build America; the middle class did.     Kamala Harris: Why haven't we asked how to pay for tax cuts to the top 1%?     Kirsten Gillibrand: Differentiate between capitalism (good) and greed (bad).     Bill de Blasio: Immigrants didn't create mess; the top 1% did that to you.     Cory Booker: Deal with corporate consolidation to let free market work.     Elizabeth Warren: We need courage to take on corporate monopoly giants.     Elizabeth Warren: Economy doing great for top 1%; we need structural change.     Elizabeth Warren: Our industrial policy has been "let giants do anything".     John Delaney: Awarded for lending to 5,000 disadvantaged businesses.     Tim Ryan: Need industrial policy to reinvent American manufacturing.

Crime     John Hickenlooper: As Denver mayor, I diversified my police force.     Kamala Harris: Every black man is subject of profiling & discrimination.     Marianne Williamson: Deep, deep racial injustice means we should do reparations.     Pete Buttigieg: Move policing out from the shadow of systemic racism.     Pete Buttigieg: I believe in police accountability and will implement it.     Beto O`Rourke: 2.3M Americans behind bars is most in the world.     Bill de Blasio: Bringing police & community together drives down crime.     Cory Booker: More black men are in jails now than under slavery.

Drugs     Beto O`Rourke: Opioid manufacturers should be held to account.     Cory Booker: Opioid manufacturers should be held criminally liable.

Education     Eric Swalwell: Next generation will solve college affordability problem.     Joe Biden: 3X money for Title I schools; free community college tuition.     Pete Buttigieg: Rich kids should pay tuition; but make it more affordable.     Amy Klobuchar: Magic genie could fix college cost; I'd focus on Pell Grants.     Elizabeth Warren: Create opportunities for everyone, not just those at top.

Energy & Oil     Bernie Sanders: Scientists say "12 years before damage is irreversible".     John Hickenlooper: Institute wind & solar, as well as methane reductions.     Kamala Harris: Climate crisis represents existential threat to our species.     Pete Buttigieg: Pittsburgh Summit instead of Paris Summit.     Beto O`Rourke: Unite to keep planet from warming another two degrees.     Elizabeth Warren: Ten-fold increase in green research & green manufacturing.     Jay Inslee: We need to address climate change for our grandchildren.     Jay Inslee: We're the first generation to feel sting of climate change.     John Delaney: Carbon pricing works; you just have to do it right.     Tim Ryan: Must reconnect with working class to address climate change.

Environment     John Hickenlooper: Toughest methane regulations in the country.     Julian Castro: Executives must deal with disasters in sustainable way.

Families & Children     Bernie Sanders: Trump threw 32M families off healthcare, socialism not issue.

Foreign Policy     Andrew Yang: Russia has been hacking our democracy for years.     Bernie Sanders: Address source of problem with Mexico & Northern Triangle.     Eric Swalwell: Break up with Russia and make up with NATO.     Kamala Harris: Trump embracing Korean & Russian dictators is a threat.     Michael Bennet: Russian election interference is biggest geopolitical threat.     Amy Klobuchar: Iran nuclear deal was imperfect but made us more safe.     Beto O`Rourke: Trump embraces dictators at expense of great democracies.     Julian Castro: We need a Marshall Plan for the Northern Triangle.     Tulsi Gabbard: Trump's chicken-hawks push Iran war; go back to nuke deal.

Free Trade     Andrew Yang: We need to crack down, but tariffs & trade wars are wrong.     Pete Buttigieg: Tariffs are taxes; we pay $800 a year for Trump's tariffs.

Government Reform     Kirsten Gillibrand: Publicly-funded elections address many other social issues.     Michael Bennet: Overcome structural corruption in voting rights.     Michael Bennet: Change corruption in DC; restore relationships with allies.     Beto O`Rourke: New voting rights: automatic & same-day voter registration.

Gun Control     Bernie Sanders: 2013: state decisions on guns; 2019: federal legislation.     Bernie Sanders: Buy back assault weapons, and ban their sale.     Eric Swalwell: Mandatory gun buy-back, but not pistols or rifles.     Joe Biden: I'm the guy who got the Brady Bill passed.     Kamala Harris: Executive action on gun control if Congress won't do it.     Pete Buttigieg: Trained on military weapons: no place in civilian use.     Amy Klobuchar: No gun confiscation; sensible gun laws don't hurt hunters.     Beto O`Rourke: Weapons of war belong on battlefield, not in our communities.     Cory Booker: Tired of "thoughts and prayers"--this is personal.     Cory Booker: We require licenses to drive; so require licenses for guns.     Elizabeth Warren: Seven kids will die today from guns: treat it as emergency.     Julian Castro: Dems can get common sense gun reform in 2021.     Tim Ryan: We need mental health counseling to prevent mass shootings.

Health Care     Bernie Sanders: Canada has figured out single-payer, at half the cost of US.     Bernie Sanders: Medicare is most popular health insurance so let's expand it.     Eric Swalwell: We need a healthcare guarantee: if you're sick, you get seen.     Joe Biden: Build on ObamaCare, with Medicare buy-in.     Joe Biden: Cover undocumented immigrants to reduce overall cost of care.     Kamala Harris: $5000 deductible demonstrates flaws of for profit system.     Kirsten Gillibrand: Keep private insurance in transition; goal is single payer.     Marianne Williamson: We have a sickness care system; we need a healthcare system.     Michael Bennet: Medicare for 35M; private insurance for the other 295M.     Pete Buttigieg: How do we get to single payer? Need a glide path.     Pete Buttigieg: Cover undocumented immigrants; then we're all healthier.     Amy Klobuchar: Allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices & re-import.     Amy Klobuchar: Medicare/Medicaid can be step towards universal care.     Beto O`Rourke: Biggest provider of mental healthcare in Texas are the jails.     Bill de Blasio: Don't defend private health insurance; it's not working.     Cory Booker: Too many profiting off of people's pain.     Elizabeth Warren: Medicare-for-All would prevent many people from going broke.     Elizabeth Warren: $23B in insurance profits means they want no change.     John Delaney: Keep what's working and fix what's broken.     John Delaney: Medicare-for-All would negatively impact hospitals.     Tulsi Gabbard: Medicare-for-All will reduce bureaucratic costs.

Homeland Security     Tulsi Gabbard: Served as Army Major for 16 years; deployed twice to Mideast.

Immigration     Eric Swalwell: Families always belong together; don't cage children.     Joe Biden: Reunite families; end outrageous treatment.     John Hickenlooper: Federal agents taking children from parents is kidnapping.     Kamala Harris: I disagreed with Obama on Secure Communities deportations.     Kamala Harris: Immediately reinstate DACA protection, including parents.     Kirsten Gillibrand: Give asylum-seekers lawyers and community support.     Marianne Williamson: Federal agents putting children in cages is child abuse.     Michael Bennet: Family separation more like Holocaust than Statue of Liberty.     Pete Buttigieg: Decriminalizing border-crossing ends child separation.     Amy Klobuchar: 25% of our Nobel laureates were born in other countries.     Beto O`Rourke: Asylum-seekers are fleeing deadliest countries in the world.     Bill de Blasio: Immigration policy & crisis does not reflect our values.     Cory Booker: Make major investments in the Northern Triangle.     Cory Booker: Get rid of section 1325 & deal with ICE abuses at home.     Jay Inslee: First governor to oppose Trump's heinous Muslim ban.     Julian Castro: Get rid of metering asylum applicants at the border.     Julian Castro: Get rid of section 1325: stop criminalizing desperation.     Tim Ryan: Terrorists treated better than children at the border.

Jobs     John Hickenlooper: No socialism: we can't promise every American a job.     Jay Inslee: Reinvigorate collective bargaining & stand with unions.     John Delaney: Create living wage via paid family leave & more.

Principles & Values     Andrew Yang: Let's build a forward coalition toward democracy.     Eric Swalwell: Biden said 32 years ago "pass the torch" to new generation.     Eric Swalwell: Democrats must look to the future, not the past.     Joe Biden: A united America can move forward.     Kamala Harris: A president who leads with dignity, honesty, truth.     Kirsten Gillibrand: Women in America are on fire; not the time to play it safe.     Marianne Williamson: Trump harnesses fear for political purposes; love beats that.     Michael Bennet: Socialist policies are like giving candy to voters.     Michael Bennet: Improvement with each generation now at risk.     Michael Bennet: Jewish mother survived Holocaust in Warsaw Ghetto.     Pete Buttigieg: Politics is not theoretical; our generation must deliver.     Amy Klobuchar: I passed over 100 bills because I listen and I act.     Beto O`Rourke: New politics for the urgency of the next generation.     Beto O`Rourke: Can't let Trump abuse power; must act to save democracy.     Cory Booker: I've taken on bullies & won, by seeing common purpose.     John Delaney: Real solutions, not impossible promises.     John Delaney: America used to do things; let's get back to those roots.     John Delaney: Trump could be prosecuted, but it's not an issue for voters.     Julian Castro: Estoy postulando por presidente de los Estados Unidos.

Tax Reform     Andrew Yang: Value-added tax would generate $800B taxes & $700B GDP.     Bernie Sanders: Medicare-for-All raises taxes on middle class, but net gain.     Michael Bennet: Obama-Biden sequester made Bush tax cuts permanent.     Beto O`Rourke: Tax capital at same rate as regular income.

Technology     Joe Biden: Full electric vehicle future by 2030.     Marianne Williamson: Harness motivation like JFK did going to moon.

War & Peace     Bernie Sanders: Used War Powers Act to get US out of Saudi-Yemen war.     Joe Biden: I got 150,000 troops out of Iraq; do same in Afghanistan.     Kirsten Gillibrand: First call to Iran, to avoid an unnecessary war.     Amy Klobuchar: Require that Trump consult Congress before war with Iran.     Bill de Blasio: No military action without approval of Congress.     Cory Booker: Get back into nuclear deal with Iran; negotiate if possible.     Tim Ryan: If the US isn't engaged in Afghanistan, Taliban will regrow.     Tulsi Gabbard: No war with Iran: it would escalate region-wide.     Tulsi Gabbard: Troops home from Afghanistan; we're no better off than 2001.

Welfare & Poverty     Bill de Blasio: We need a president who has seen the face of poverty.     Bill de Blasio: There's plenty of money to invest; it's in the wrong hands.     Tim Ryan: I represent a forgotten community: the working class.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Amy Klobuchar Minnesota Democratic candidate for President; Minnesota Senator Andrew Yang Democratic candidate for President; CEO Bernie Sanders Democratic Presidential candidate Beto O`Rourke Texas Democratic candidate for President; U.S. Rep from TX Bill de Blasio New York Democratic primary candidate and NYC mayor Cory Booker New Jersey Mayor of Newark; N.J. Senator Elizabeth Warren Massachusetts Senator Eric Swalwell California Presidential candidate (withdrawn); U.S. Rep from CA-15 Jay Inslee Washington Democratic Washington Governor Joe Biden Democratic V.P. John Delaney Maryland Democratic candidate for President; U.S. Rep from MD-6 John Hickenlooper Colorado Democratic Colorado Governor Julian Castro Texas Mayor of San Antonio; HUD Secretary Kamala Harris California Democratic candidate for President; California Senator Kirsten Gillibrand New York Democratic candidate for President; New York Senator Marianne Williamson Democratic candidate for President Michael Bennet Colorado Democratic candidate for President; Colorado Senator Pete Buttigieg Indiana Democratic candidate for President; Mayor of South Bend, IN Tim Ryan Ohio Democratic candidate for President; U.S. Rep from OH-13 Tulsi Gabbard Hawaii Democratic candidate for President; U.S. Rep from HI-2

The above quotations are from NBC News, "Decision 2020," the Democratic candidates debate,
live from the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami, Florida, June 26-27, 2019..

Presidential race debates: Presidential debate #3 (Oct. 22, 2020) Second presidential "debate" (Oct. 15, 2020) Vice presidential debate (Oct. 7, 2020) First presidential debate (Sept. 29, 2020) Debates and Surveys in the 2020 Democratic Primary: 11th Democratic Debate, one-on-one between Biden and Sanders, March 15, 2020 10th Democratic Debate, between South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday, Feb. 25 2020 Feb. 2020 Democratic Debate (9th Debate) on eve of the Nevada caucus, Feb. 19 2020 February Democratic candidates debate in N.H., (Feb. 7, 2020) CNN New Hampshire Town Halls (Feb. 5-6, 2020) January Democratic candidates debate in Des Moines, (Jan. 14, 2020) December Democratic candidates debate at UCLA, (Dec. 19, 2019) November Democratic candidates debate in Atlanta, (Nov. 20, 2019) October Democratic candidates debate in Ohio, (Oct. 15, 2019) CNN LGBT Town Hall (Oct. 10, 2019) Business Insider Republican candidates debate, (Sept. 24, 2019) September Democratic candidates debate in Houston, (Sept. 12, 2019) CNN Climate Town Hall (Sept. 4, 2019) July Democratic candidates debate in Detroit (July 30-31, 2019) June Democratic candidates debate in Miami, (June 26-27, 2019) CNN Town Halls (April-May, 2019) Surveys and other coverage of the Democratic Primary: Survey of 2020 Presidential campaign websites Politico 2020Dems Presidential survey NPR Morning Edition 2020 Presidential survey CNN Kfile, investigative reporting on presidential contenders Jacobin Magazine, socialist perspectives on presidential contenders CNN Town Halls, with presidential contenders Fox Town Halls, with presidential contenders 2020 Presidential Hopefuls by OnTheIssues.org Books by 2020 Presidential hopefuls: The Truths We Hold, by Kamala Harris (2019) Shortest Way Home, by Pete Buttigieg (2019) The Mueller Report, investigation and commentary (2019) From the Ground Up, by Howard Schultz (2019) Where We Go From Here, by Bernie Sanders (2018) The Right Answer, by John Delaney (2018) An Unlikely Journey, by Julian Castro (2018) Healing the Soul of America, by Marianne Williamson (2018) Promise Me, Dad, by Joe Biden (2017) This Fight Is Our Fight by Elizabeth Warren (2017) The Making of Donald Trump by David Cay Johnston (2017) United, by Cory Booker (2016) The Opposite of Woe, by John Hickenlooper (2016) The Senator Next Door, by Amy Klobuchar (2015) Off the Sidelines, Kirsten Gillibrand (2014) Dealing Death and Drugs, by Beto O'Rourke (2011)

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