The stage is set in Miami, Florida on Wednesday for the first Democratic debate of the 2020 US Presidential Election. Twenty-five candidates currently hope to win the party’s nomination and challenge US President Donald Trump, including high-profile politicians Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden.

The field, though, also includes upstart candidates such as South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and self-help author Marianne Williamson, who wish to sway the party away from more established candidates.

With so many competing for the top spot, the skirmishes have already begun. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has called out frontrunner Biden's record on civil rights. Warren and Sanders are vying for the attention of more progressive-minded democrats. And on Monday, Sanders unveiled a plan to cancel $1.6 trillion in student loan debt - one of Warren's signature issues.

In this episode, The Stream surveys the Democratic Party landscape ahead of the debate with Republican Party strategist Rina Shah, Democrat Party strategist Brad Jenkins, and Al Jazeera Correspondent Andy Gallacher.

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