Skip to main content
Texas 2020 Elections

Texans Beto O'Rourke and Julián Castro will share the same stage on first night of first 2020 debates

O'Rourke and Castro will be onstage with eight other Democrats during the first of two debates in Miami later this month.

Republish
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro (left) and former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke.
Credit: Robin Jerstad: Castro / Jorge Salgado: O'Rourke for The Texas Tribune.

Texas 2020 Elections

The last day to register to vote in Texas is Oct. 5. The last day to request a ballot to vote by mail is Oct. 23. Early voting starts on Oct. 13 and ends Oct. 30. Learn more about voting by mail, check out our guide on voting during the pandemic and bookmark your Texas ballot.

 More in this series 

WASHINGTON — The state's two Democratic presidential candidates will face off on the same debate stage later this month, NBC News announced Friday.

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro will appear on the stage June 26, the first of two nights of debates sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee and moderated by MSNBC in Miami.

They will face off with eight other Democratic candidates: U.S. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Tim Ryan of Ohio; former U.S. Rep. John Delaney of Maryland; New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

The second heat of Democratic candidates will feature former Vice President Joe Biden; U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California and Bernie Sanders of Vermont; South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigeig; U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell; former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; author Marianne Williamson and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

The Democratic National Committee required candidates to meet a polling and fundraising threshold in order to limit the number of candidates appearing onstage. The groupings were determined by a drawing at NBC headquarters in New York City.

The debates will air on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo.

Wait! We need your help.

More than 2 million people read Texas Tribune articles every month, but only 12,000 of those readers also donate to support the news they count on. Not even 1% of readers! If you are one of the 99% of Texas Tribune readers who hasn’t made a donation before in support of independent Texas news, you can change that today. A small donation makes a big impact.

Our Spring Member Drive is an important time to help our newsroom plan for what resources will be available for them to tackle longer investigations and bigger projects later this year. Texas Tribune journalists need the support of readers to write the articles, take the photographs and create the data visualizations that impact Texans and Texas policy.

We have a goal to have 500 readers become Texas Tribune members during our Spring Member Drive. As the Tribune member community grows, the journalism you read here is better protected. Will you make a donation today to show your support of independent Texas news?

DONATE NOW

Information about the authors

Abby Livingston’s staff photo

Abby Livingston

Washington Bureau Chief

Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.

Explore related story topics

Politics 2020 elections Beto O'Rourke Julián Castro