Klobuchar says she has qualified for fall debates

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) has qualified for the next Democratic presidential primary debates, her campaign said on Friday, making her the eighth candidate to make the stage. 

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has set tougher standards to qualify for the third and fourth primary debates, which are slated for September and October. Candidates need to register at least 2 percent support in four DNC-approved polls and amass 130,000 unique donors.

{mosads}Klobuchar had already met the polling criteria, but her campaign said on Friday that she had also reached the donor threshold.

Klobuchar took the stage earlier this week for the second round of presidential debates. And while she delivered a relatively muted performance, her campaign said that July has been her best fundraising month since she announced her candidacy in February.

The second round of debates this week showcased bitter ideological divisions and personal tensions in the Democratic primary field. That has alarmed some Democrats on Capitol Hill, who worry that the intraparty disputes could weaken the party ahead of the 2020 elections.

“While the debates are definitely about showing differences of opinion on policy, I think our time is better spent taking it to Donald Trump instead of each other,” Klobuchar said in a statement on Friday.

So far, seven other candidates have qualified for the fall debates, including former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas).

The third debate in September will be held in Houston. The location of the fourth debate has not yet been announced.