The Democratic National Committee released the criteria to qualify for the January 14, 2020, presidential primary debate, raising both the polling and fundraising thresholds.
Each candidate has to receive 5% support or more in at least four national or early state polls or 7% support or more in at least two single state polls to meet the debate’s polling threshold. The four early states are Iowa (Feb. 3), New Hampshire (Feb. 11), Nevada (Feb. 22), and South Carolina (Feb. 29).
Candidates also have to meet a fundraising threshold of 225,000 unique donors and a minimum of 1,000 donors in at least 20 states.
Candidates have until Jan. 10 to qualify. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren have already met both requirements.
While former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reached the polling requirement, he is not accepting contributions to his campaign and is unlikely to cross the fundraising threshold.
Neither Tom Steyer nor Andrew Yang, both of whom participated in the December debate, have qualified yet. Steyer needs to cross the donor threshold and reach the polling threshold in two more polls. Yang has met the donor threshold but needs three more polls.
The debate will take place at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, roughly three weeks before the state caucuses.
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