WASHINGTON _ Sen. Amy Klobuchar's campaign said Friday that she has met the requirements to participate in the third and fourth Democratic presidential debates
The Democratic National Committee set polling and fundraising thresholds that candidates must hit in order to make the debate stage in September and October. Klobuchar previously reached at least 2% support in four early-state or national polls; now, her campaign said, the Minnesota Democrat also reached 130,000 individual donors to her campaign.
"We're thankful for the strong grassroots support we've received from all across the country as our momentum continues to build heading into the fall," campaign manager Justin Buoen said in a prepared statement. "Amy's debate performances have shown exactly why she is the strongest candidate to take on Donald Trump and she will continue to hold him accountable for his divisiveness and empty promises."
Klobuchar is the eighth Democratic candidate to qualify for the September debate, in Houston, and the October debate, for which a location has not yet been announced. To date, the others are former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Kamala Harris, South Bend, Ind., Mayro Pete Buttigieg, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Sen. Cory Booker.
In all, 20 Democratic candidates participated in two debates over consecutive nights this past week in Detroit. But pundits expect many of those candidates won't make the upcoming debates, which is likely to prompt the first major thinning of the current field.
