Swordsmyth
10-27-2019, 06:28 PM
The halfway mark of the Democratic debate calendar is coming up, and the sixth debate will likely feature the smallest stage yet.
New thresholds announced by the Democratic National Committee for the sixth debate — which will be hosted by POLITICO and PBS on Dec. 19 in Los Angeles — represent only a modest step up from the criteria for the next debate in November. But they could still seriously endanger the participation of all but the top five candidates..
To make the December debate, candidates must hit 4 percent support in at least four DNC-approved polls of primary voters nationally or in early-voting states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina) — or, instead, they can qualify by hitting 6 percent in two approved early-state polls. Candidates must also bring in donations from 200,000 unique donors, with a minimum of 800 donors in 20 states, territories or the District of Columbia.
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The DNC has continuously stepped up the requirements to participate in successive debates throughout the year. The new thresholds will put pressure on Democratic candidates outside a top five — Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris — who have routinely polled above 4 percent in approved surveys so far (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dHSFg0jrAeIAqDlFZqAu-5N2x-wk8PT-6H4DbCendUM/edit?usp=sharing).
Biden, Warren and Sanders have already qualified for the December debate, according to POLITICO's tracking (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dHSFg0jrAeIAqDlFZqAu-5N2x-wk8PT-6H4DbCendUM/edit?usp=sharing) (though participation is not official until the DNC certifies candidates have passed the thresholds after the deadline has passed). Buttigieg and Harris both need 4 percent support in one more poll to make it on stage.
Only one other candidate has hit 4 percent in any of the four qualifying polls for the December debate that have already been released. That candidate is billionaire Tom Steyer, who spent more than $47 million of his own money in the third quarter to flood early states with ads.
Candidates have until Dec. 12, a week before the debate, to qualify for the event. Surveys must be released by approved pollsters between Oct. 16 and that date in order to count. The list of approved pollsters remains unchanged.
To make the November debate, candidates needed to get 3 percent in four national or early-state polls (the early-state-only polling threshold went from requiring two polls at 5 percent in November to 6 percent in two polls for December) and to accrue 165,000 donors.
Three candidates have already said they've passed the higher donor thresholds for the December debate — Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang and Beto O'Rourke. Yang and Klobuchar have already qualified for the November debate, but O'Rourke has not, having not hit the polling threshold for that debate yet.
The new December thresholds triggered concern from Democrats in early states — as well as supporters of low-polling candidates — that the DNC is being too strict and artificially limiting the primary field too early before voting starts in Iowa.
“I don’t know that I think that they should be cutting it that much, I don’t think that’s their job,” said Jean Pardee, a member of the Iowa Democratic Party’s central committee who is neutral in the 2020 race.
More at: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/25/dnc-raises-thresholds-for-december-debate-000297
New thresholds announced by the Democratic National Committee for the sixth debate — which will be hosted by POLITICO and PBS on Dec. 19 in Los Angeles — represent only a modest step up from the criteria for the next debate in November. But they could still seriously endanger the participation of all but the top five candidates..
To make the December debate, candidates must hit 4 percent support in at least four DNC-approved polls of primary voters nationally or in early-voting states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina) — or, instead, they can qualify by hitting 6 percent in two approved early-state polls. Candidates must also bring in donations from 200,000 unique donors, with a minimum of 800 donors in 20 states, territories or the District of Columbia.
Story Continued Below
The DNC has continuously stepped up the requirements to participate in successive debates throughout the year. The new thresholds will put pressure on Democratic candidates outside a top five — Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris — who have routinely polled above 4 percent in approved surveys so far (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dHSFg0jrAeIAqDlFZqAu-5N2x-wk8PT-6H4DbCendUM/edit?usp=sharing).
Biden, Warren and Sanders have already qualified for the December debate, according to POLITICO's tracking (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dHSFg0jrAeIAqDlFZqAu-5N2x-wk8PT-6H4DbCendUM/edit?usp=sharing) (though participation is not official until the DNC certifies candidates have passed the thresholds after the deadline has passed). Buttigieg and Harris both need 4 percent support in one more poll to make it on stage.
Only one other candidate has hit 4 percent in any of the four qualifying polls for the December debate that have already been released. That candidate is billionaire Tom Steyer, who spent more than $47 million of his own money in the third quarter to flood early states with ads.
Candidates have until Dec. 12, a week before the debate, to qualify for the event. Surveys must be released by approved pollsters between Oct. 16 and that date in order to count. The list of approved pollsters remains unchanged.
To make the November debate, candidates needed to get 3 percent in four national or early-state polls (the early-state-only polling threshold went from requiring two polls at 5 percent in November to 6 percent in two polls for December) and to accrue 165,000 donors.
Three candidates have already said they've passed the higher donor thresholds for the December debate — Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang and Beto O'Rourke. Yang and Klobuchar have already qualified for the November debate, but O'Rourke has not, having not hit the polling threshold for that debate yet.
The new December thresholds triggered concern from Democrats in early states — as well as supporters of low-polling candidates — that the DNC is being too strict and artificially limiting the primary field too early before voting starts in Iowa.
“I don’t know that I think that they should be cutting it that much, I don’t think that’s their job,” said Jean Pardee, a member of the Iowa Democratic Party’s central committee who is neutral in the 2020 race.
More at: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/25/dnc-raises-thresholds-for-december-debate-000297