Maryland's John Delaney Qualifies For Second Presidential Debate

ROCKVILLE, MD — Former U.S. Rep. John Delaney is one of 20 presidential candidates to qualify for the second round of 2020 primary debates, according to the Democratic National Committee.

CNN's Democratic presidential debate will be held in Detroit, Michigan on July 30 and 31 at 8 p.m. ET. Delaney, a Potomac resident, will be on stage the first night.

The candidates who made it to round two largely remained the same from last month's debates. The only difference is Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (he didn't appear in the first round of debates in June) will replace California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who dropped out of the 2020 race earlier this month.

To qualify for the Detroit debate, candidates had to either get at least 1 percent support in three separate polls or receive campaign contributions from 65,000 donors from 20 different states, according to CNN.

When it comes to his mark on the 2020 campaign, RealClearPolitics' polling average shows that Delaney has 1 percent of support from New Hampshire Democratic primary voters. The poll was conducted by CNN and the University of New Hampshire between July 8 and 15.

Lots of voters don't know this, but the former Maryland congressman was the first Democrat to announce for president, back in July 2017. His platform includes fostering business and technology, strengthening the social safety net and investing in infrastructure, along with reforming education, health care, and immigration.

But with a crowded field of Democrats vying for quips and sounds bites in the party's presidential candidate debates, it can be difficult for a middle-tier candidate to get some good air time.

At the first debate in Miami last month, there were a lot of passionate and outspoken candidates on stage — including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.

Delaney — like many other less notable Democratic candidates — tried to get a word in whenever possible. And it seemed to work in his favor when candidates were debating health care.

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At the Detroit debate, Delaney will be sharing the stage with nine other candidates on July 30. They are:

• Montana Gov. Steve Bullock
• South Bend, Indiana, Mayor PeteButtigieg
• Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
• Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
• Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke
• Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan
• Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
• Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
• Author Marianne Williamson

The candidates who will debate on July 31 are:

• Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet
• Former Vice President Joe Biden
• New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
• Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro
• New York Mayor Bill de Blasio
• Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
• New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
• California Sen. Kamala Harris
• Washington Gov. Jay Inslee
• Businessman Andrew Yang