LIVESTREAM: MD's Delaney, Democrats Meet In Presidential Debate

MIAMI, FL — A two-night political spectacle in Miami starts Wednesday with the opening Democratic presidential debate, which includes former Maryland Rep. John Delaney of Montgomery County. A total of 20 presidential candidates will take the stage at Miami's Adriene Arsht Center over two nights — 10 candidates on Wednesday and 10 on Thursday.

The debate will air at 9 p.m. ET on June 26 and 27 on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo. It will be streamed online for free on a variety of digital and social platforms.

Delaney, the former representative from Maryland's 6th congressional district, announced his intention to seek the Oval Office in July 2017, and has made many trips to Iowa — the first caucus state — and other early primary states. His platform includes fostering business and technology, strengthening the social safety net and investing in infrastructure, along with reforming education, health care, and immigration.

At the California Democratic Convention, Delaney — who is also a former health care finance executive — was booed by the audience after he disavowed Medicare-for-all, Vox reports. He has a plan for universal health coverage that includes enrolling everyone younger than 65 in a public plan that covers basic medical services similar to what was covered by Obamacare; employers and individuals could purchase supplemental insurance; and Medicare for people over 65 would be untouched.

Watch the 2020 Democratic presidential debate live on NBC News below.

Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Jose Diaz-Balart, Rachel Maddow, and Chuck Todd will be the NBC News personalities onstage in Miami. NBC has been skittish about revealing too much in advance.

The network wouldn't talk about topics on the agenda — that's typical — and until Tuesday, kept under wraps details about how it would run.

With less than 48 hours notice, NBC announced the candidates would have 60 seconds to answer questions and 30 seconds for follow-ups. The candidates will be allowed closing statements but no openers.

Rashida Jones, the NBC news executive behind this inaugural Democratic presidential debate, will have to juggle all 20 candidates, five news personalities, and quite possibly one tweeting president.

Watch the 2020 Democratic presidential debate live on "PBS NewsHour."

"Primary debates are a big prestige event for every network," said Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of Hofstra University's school of communication, who had Jones' job four years ago. "It's why every network tries to get one and tries to get as many as they can. It's a branding opportunity."

The American voting public will have four hours to get to know the candidates and to decide who will get their donations.

"It's a sound bite competition," Lukasiewicz said.

NBC's decision to include five of its own people also crowds the stage. They won't be on at the same time: The teams of Guthrie and Diaz-Balart, and Todd and Maddow, will moderate an hour each night, with Holt and Guthrie a constant presence. Some debate experts wonder if this will hurt the event's flow and cost opportunities for conversational follow-ups.

The following candidates were expected to participate in the Miami debate on Wednesday:

• Sen. Cory Booker (Born in Washington, D.C.; U.S. Senator from New Jersey)
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; U.S. Senator from Massachusetts)
• Mayor Bill de Blasio (Born in Manhattan and Mayor of New York)
• Rep. Beto O'Rourke (Born in El Paso, Texas; Former U.S. Representative from Texas)
• Secretary Julian Castro (Born in San Antonio, Texas; Former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas and Obama cabinet member.
• Rep. John Delaney (Born in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey; U.S. Representative from Maryland.
• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Born in Leloaloa, American Samoa; U.S. Representative from Hawaii)
• Gov. Jay Inslee (Born in Seattle, Washington; Governor of Washington)
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Born in Plymouth, Minnesota; U.S. Senator from Minnesota)
• Rep. Tim Ryan (Born in Niles, Ohio; U.S. Representative from Ohio)

The following candidates were expected to participate in the Miami debate on Thursday:

• Former Vice President Joe Biden (Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania; Served as U.S. Senator from Delaware)
• Sen. Bernie Sanders (Born in Brooklyn, New York; U.S. Senator from Vermont)
• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (Born in Albany, New York; U.S. Senator from New York)
• Mayor Pete Buttigieg (Born in South Bend, Indiana; Mayor of South Bend)
• Sen. Kamala Harris (Born in Oakland, California; U.S. Senator from California)
• Sen. Michael Bennet (Born in New Delhi, India; U.S. Sen. from Colorado)
• Gov. John Hickenlooper (Born in Narberth, Pennsylvania; Served as Governor of Colorado)
• Rep. Eric Swalwell (Born in Sac City, Iowa; U.S. Representative from California)
• Marianne Williamson (Born in Houston, Texas; Unsuccessful candidate for California's 33rd congressional district)
• Andrew Yang (Born in Schenectady, New York; Founder of Venture for America in New York)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.