DNC Qualifications for Next Debate Would Have Barred Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter

The next presidential debate is over a month away, but with the Democratic National Committee’s revamped qualification rules, only seven candidates have qualified. Such stringent measures would have kept former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter from participating.

The next debates are slated for Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 in Houston, TX. However, the events could be chopped down to one night if the majority of candidates fail to reach the set polling and donor requirements by August 28.

In order to qualify for the next debate, a candidate must have 130,000 unique donors – up from 65,000 – and reach two percent in four qualifying polls rather than one percent in three qualifying polls. So far, only seven candidates have qualified– former Vice President Joe Biden (D), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Two candidates – Julián Castro (D) and Andrew Yang (D), are just one qualifying poll away from making the debate, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is just 10,000 unique donors away from qualifying, already meeting the intensified polling requirements, the New York Times reports.

The requirements have attracted criticism, with The Federalist’s Sean Davis pointing out that the DNC’s current requirements would have effectively barred former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, both of whom were averaging less than two percent in the polls at this point in their respective primaries:

In the summer of 1975, Jimmy Carter was averaging 1% in the polls. And in the summer of 1991, Bill Clinton was averaging 1.7%.

Seems weird to have rules that would have kept two of the last three Democrat presidents off the primary debate stage. https://t.co/ftgTh8ULlB

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 1, 2019

Self-help guru Marianne Williamson dominated the first night, winning the Drudge Poll. Her quirky quips about “wonkiness” and the president’s “dark psychic force” piqued interest, making Williamson the most Google-searched candidate in 49 states and fourth most-tweeted-about candidate of the night, as Breitbart News noted.

Despite that, she has yet to secure a spot in the next debate. The same could be said of fellow underdog Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), who experienced a breakout moment Wednesday night after confronting Harris over her record as a prosecutor. She also won Drudge’s poll and came out as the most Google-searched candidate of the night.

According to the New York Times, Gabbard still needs over 16,000 unique donors and two percent in three additional polls in order to qualify. The Times report did not mention Williamson.