MIAMI — Ahead of the first Democratic presidential debate Wednesday, candidate Julián Castro said he feared the moderators will lose control of the crowded stage.
“This is a test not only of people on the stage but of the people that are asking the questions,” Mr. Castro, a former housing secretary in the Obama administration, told reporters as he prepared for the debate.
He said that it was vital that the moderators from NBC News strictly enforce the one-minute time limit on candidates, otherwise the back-and-forth between the 10 candidates on stage could devolve into chaos.
“We’ve seen a lot of these debates go off the rails because moderators are not enforcing time,” said Mr. Castro.
Getting enough time in the debate spotlight is crucial to Mr. Castro, who barely registers in the polls and approached the debate as his best opportunity to get noticed and gain traction for his campaign.
Many of his rivals on the stage are in the same boat.
“What is going to happen is beginning with tonight, as my name ID goes up, I’m confident that you are going to see my support go up,” said Mr. Castro.
Vying for attention on the stage will be New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee and former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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