The Democratic debate line-up is about to get much smaller come September.
So far only 7 candidates have qualified for the next round of debates taking place on Sept. 12 and 13 in Houston. This is due to stricter criteria set by the Democratic National Committee.
Candidates now must have 130,000 unique donors AND make 2 percent support in at least four national polls to qualify--all before August 28.
Here are the candidates who have met that criteria:
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey
Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind.
Senator Kamala Harris of California
Former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Three other candidates who are close to qualifying for the September debates are Julián Castro, Andrew Yang, and Amy Klobuchar. Both Castro and Yang have more than 130,000 donors but only three qualifying polls. Klobuchar has met the polling threshold but needs about 10,000 more donors.
Other candidates are not even close. Only three others have a single qualifying poll: Tulsi Gabbard, John Hickenlooper, and Tom Steyer (a Democratic activist who did not make the July debates). The rest of the candidates are nowhere near qualifying.
This higher threshold means only 10 or 12 candidates will likely qualify, according to The New York Times.
Hopefully, Marianne Williamson makes the cut. Debates are so much more enjoyable with her around.
CNN's Anderson Cooper asks Marianne Williamson whether she has another 2020 Democrat she would support.
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 31, 2019
“Why do you need anybody else? You’ve got me” #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/Z1kDphtPHx