From Mayonnaise To Eggshell: CNN Announces Iowa Debate Podium Order

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CNN announced the podium order for Tuesday night’s CNN/Des Moines Register Democratic presidential debate, which will arrange the candidates onstage according to their poll numbers and, coincidentally, their whiteness.

Next week’s event, unlike the previous Democratic debates during this election cycle, will feature all white candidates, and will take place at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa just weeks before the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses.

I’m not saying this debate is too white, but it gets out of every ticket even though it has a bad inspection sticker. This debate is so white, it’s not allowed to bring the potato salad. That debate stage is going to be so white, the moderators will have to cut open a taunton to keep warm. It’s very white.

After former HUD Secretary Julián Castro exited the race and remaining candidates of color like New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang failed to qualify, only six candidates made the cut: Former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend  Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, billionaire Tom Steyer, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren — who recently reiterated “I am not a person of color.”

On Saturday, CNN released the order in which they will be arranged onstage Tuesday night:

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont will stand at center stage in Tuesday night’s CNN/Des Moines Register Democratic presidential debate.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts will be to the left of Biden, and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg will be to the right of Sanders. Businessman Tom Steyer will stand next to Warren, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota will be next to Buttigieg.

The debate, which will air on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET exclusively on CNN, is the final face-to-face gathering of the candidates before the February 3 Iowa caucuses. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Abby Phillip, as well as The Des Moines Register’s Brianne Pfannenstiel, will moderate the debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

The podium order was based on an average of qualifying polls released in January. Candidates with the highest averages were placed in the center of the stage.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Abby Phillip will moderate the debate, along with The Des Moines Register‘s Brianne Pfannenstiel.