CNN and Univision announced on Thursday that chief political correspondent Dana Bash, “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper and Univision anchor Jorge Ramos will serve as moderators for the next Democratic presidential debate in Arizona.
The event, on March 15 in Phoenix, will also include Univision’s Ilia Calderón, who will handle audience questions. It is scheduled just two days before votes will be cast in Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio.
CNN noted that Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez said last month that “Arizona is a battleground state and it’s clear Democrats can win here at every level of the ballot.”
“After historic Democratic victories in 2018, we’re putting the Republicans on defense in the Grand Canyon State,” Perez added. “This debate will showcase our Democratic presidential candidates, highlight Trump’s record of broken promises and make it clear that Democrats are fighting to give Arizonans a better future.”
The debate will air live on CNN, CNN en Español, CNN International and Univision.
It is unclear if Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) will qualify for the debate after picking up two delegates, from American Samoa, on Super Tuesday.
“Additional details including criteria to qualify for the debate will be released in the coming days,” CNN said in a statement. “While Gabbard qualified for some of the DNC debates in 2019, she has not yet met the debate thresholds this year.”
According to The Associated Press, former Vice President Joe Biden currently has 566 pledged delegates, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has 501 delegates and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has 61.
–This report was updated at 12:28 p.m.