DNC eliminates donor threshold for Feb. 19 debate in Las Vegas

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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, speaks to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., left, as former Vice President Joe Biden listens Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, during a Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register in Des Moines, Iowa.
Patrick Semansky / AP

(Emily Aubert) – The Democratic National Committee released its criteria for the Feb. 19 presidential primary debate in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Candidates have three paths to qualify:

  1. Receive at least one pledged delegate in the Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary;
  2. Receive 10 percent support in four national, Nevada, and/or South Carolina polls; or
  3. Receive 12 percent support in two Nevada and/or South Carolina polls.

Each poll must be publicly released between Jan. 15 and Feb. 18.

The donor threshold used in previous debates was eliminated, creating a path to the stage for former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who has not accepted contributions to his campaign.

Three candidates have already qualified: former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Only two other candidates have at least one qualifying poll: Bloomberg and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.


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Emily Aubert / Ballotpedia via The Center Square