The first debates of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary season take place Wednesday and Thursday nights on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo.

The field is so large and the candidates so wide-ranging in experience and policy views that the Democratic National Committee set polling and donation criteria that 20 candidates met. A random selection was used to divide the candidates into two groups that would include high-profile contenders with serious potential along with less-known ones looking to catch lightning in a bottle or bring attention to their signature issues.

To evaluate the debate performance of these disparate candidates, members of the Newsday editorial board will rank each contender in three categories on a scale of one to five stars, with five being the best. These ratings are not endorsements of any candidate or his or her views; rather, they are a measure of how well the candidates contribute to the national discussion.

We will do the rankings on both nights.