CNN’s live debate draw

The lineup for the two-night Democratic primary debate in Detroit, Michigan, was announced tonight.

We’re wrapping up our live coverage for the night. In case you missed it, here’s what you need to know about the debates:

Here’s a look the podium positions for each night:

Two Democratic presidential hopefuls reacted to tonight’s CNN debate draw.

Sen. Bernie Sanders’s campaign manager Faiz Shakir took his first jab at some of the candidates ahead of the debates. (Sanders will be part of the first night of CNN’s Democratic debates on July 30.)

Sen. Kamala Harris’ campaign said the debates will allow her to share her ideas and “reach more Americans to join our movement to prosecute the case against four more years of Donald Trump and this administration.”

Harris will appear on the second night of the debates on July 31.

One key dynamic on debate night will be how South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke interact with one another.

Both younger Democrats are considered rising stars in the party, but their presidential campaigns are going in distinctly different directions: After announcing a presidential exploratory committee with little fanfare, Buttigieg raised nearly $25 million the second quarter of 2019, compared to O’Rourke, who raised $9.4 million in the first 18 days of his campaign but only raised $3.6 million in the second quarter.

Many Democratic operatives believe Buttigieg offered a fresh new face during the presidential campaign, stepping on O’Rourke’s momentum after a failed, but closely watched, Senate campaign in Texas.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren just tweeted about tonight’s CNN debate draw, saying she was “grateful for another chance to talk” about her grassroots movement.

I’m fired up for big, structural change—let’s do this!” she said.

Read her tweet:

Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren will go head-to-head on July 30.

There are no two top, or even middle-tier candidates, with so much in common.

Yes, they are drawing support in the polls from different demographic pools, but that doesn’t mean those voters aren’t drawn to them for similar reasons.

The candidates seem to be taking a similar view: both have done their best to avoid any kind of confrontation, real or perceived, perhaps believing that the an attack on one could depress their own support.

For that reason, it will be incredibly interesting to see them share a debate stage. There’s every chance what’s effectively been a nonaggression pact will survive a debate night — with the pair using the platform to advocate for their mostly similar platforms.

Or…

Things could go a different way. If Sanders is worried that Warren is claiming the progressive mantle from him, he could question Warren on health care, and force her to talk more about Medicare for All.

If Warren — who said “I’m with Bernie” on health care the first time around — seeks to differentiate herself, she could argue that she’s a better choice, plans and all, to make their shared proposals a reality.

The big night one matchup will be between Sanders and Warren. Despite both pulling most of their voters from the left, I’d bet that this pairing won’t produce the most memorable moment in night one. Why? 

Well for one thing, the two senators have shown a reluctance to go after each other on the campaign trail. They seem to genuinely like each other. 

But it’s more than that. I’m not sure either has much to gain. Sanders base is much more working class than Warren’s. That is, she does significantly better among whites with a college degree, while Sanders does significantly better among whites without a college degree. 

If night one produces a moment, it might be a lower tier candidate try and make an electability or ideologically contrast case against Sanders or Warren. 

Sen. Michael Bennet, step on up.

The Colorado moderate will stand out on the second debate night, which is otherwise stocked with progressive hopefuls.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are among the furthest left in the field. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is running on a massive climate plan. And Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker are both cosponsors of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” bill.

On the flip side, former Rep. John Delaney and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper won’t have much to argue about on the first night. They’ll be hoping to take on Sanders.

Here are the podium positions for each night of CNN’s Democratic debates.

The podium positions are based on public polling numbers.

The final draw for the second Democratic primary debate was just pulled.

Once the draw is completed, CNN will announce the podium positions — based upon public polling — for each debate night.

Here’s a look at the final lineup:

July 30

July 31

Break ‘em up! There will be no second round of intra-Texas brawling.

Julián Castro and Beto O’Rourke have been drawn into separate debate nights.

In their last time out, when they shared a stage in Miami, Castro attacked his fellow Texan in a tense exchange over immigration.

That back-and-forth ended with Castro, who had a strong performance across the board, telling O’Rourke to “do your homework.”

But O’Rourke isn’t out of the woods. He’ll be alongside Pete Buttigieg this time around. The South Bend mayor would seem like a natural competitor, given the early comparisons between the two.