Gabbard, Klobuchar qualify for Democratic debates

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) qualified for the next Democratic presidential primary debate scheduled in November, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) qualified to appear in the December debate stage. 

Gabbard made the debate slated for Nov. 20 in Atlanta after receiving 3 percent support in a Quinnipiac University poll focused on Iowa that was released on Wednesday. 

And @TulsiGabbard just qualified for the November debate! ☕️ #Tulsi2020 #Momentum pic.twitter.com/0OUsAkq9Gx

— Cullen Tiernan (@CullenYossarian) November 6, 2019

To make the debate stage this month, candidates have to amass support from at least 165,000 unique donors and register at least 3 percent in four qualifying polls or 5 percent in two early-state polls by Nov. 13 at 11:59 p.m.

Gabbard becomes the 10th Democratic presidential candidate to make the debate stage. She will join former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kamala Harris (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), as well as South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang and businessman Tom Steyer.

Klobuchar has also already qualified for the November debate.

Gabbard has in the past accused the Democratic National Committee (DNC) of “rigging” the primary contest against outsider candidates such as herself, while attacking the qualification requirements as “arbitrary” and nontransparent. 

Gabbard, who has attracted scrutiny over her foreign policy stances, has made three of the previous four debates, including the one last month.

Meanwhile, Klobuchar got 5 percent support in the same Quinnipiac poll on Iowa, qualifying her for the December stage under toughened criteria by the DNC.

To make the December debate, candidates have to amass the support of at least 200,000 unique donors and register support of 4 percent or more in four qualifying polls or 6 percent in two approved early voting state polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina.

Klobuchar’s campaign confirmed to The Hill that the Minnesota lawmaker qualified for the debate, which is set to take place in Los Angeles on Dec. 19.

She is the sixth Democrat to qualify for the event, joining Biden, Warren, Sanders, Harris and Buttigieg.

“Today, Senator Klobuchar qualified for the December debate. Amy looks forward to sharing her optimistic agenda on stage and showing once again how she will be the President for not half of America, but all of America,” Klobuchar’s campaign manager Justin Buoen said in a statement.