For months you’ve probably been seeing ads and getting emails from Democratic presidential candidates saying they need your help to make the June debates. Prepare for a new onslaught: The Democratic National Committee has released its requirements for September’s debate, and the bar is officially raised.
Candidates can qualify for the June debates by either getting contributions from 65,000 people or hitting 1% in three qualifying polls. For September, they’ll need contributions from 130,000 people and to hit 2% in four polls.
Politico reports that eight candidates—former Vice President Joe Biden: Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, and Cory Booker: Mayor Pete Buttigieg: and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas—have gotten the needed 2% in four polls, and three of them—Sanders, Warren, and Buttigieg—have publicly announced that they have 130,000 donors. Others, particularly O’Rourke and Biden, may have reached 130,000 donors without making it public. But this may see the Democratic field dramatically whittled down.