Booker says he will not make December debate stage

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said Thursday he is unlikely to qualify for the sixth Democratic presidential debate later this month, but insisted he still has a path to victory in the nominating contest despite lackluster fundraising and waning poll numbers.

“Today is the deadline for the DNC’s December debate qualifying threshold—and while I may not be on the debate stage next Thursday, thanks to the outpouring of support over the past few weeks, we know there’s a path to victory, and we no longer need the debate stage to get there,” Booker tweeted. 

Today is the deadline for the DNC’s December debate qualifying threshold—and while I may not be on the debate stage next Thursday, thanks to the outpouring of support over the past few weeks, we know there’s a path to victory, and we no longer need the debate stage to get there.

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) December 12, 2019

Democratic presidential candidates have until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday to meet the qualifying criteria for the Dec. 19 debate. So far, seven candidates are expected to be onstage: former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), former tech executive Andrew Yang and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) raised the qualifying criteria for the sixth debate. Candidates have to amass support from at least 200,000 unique donors and register 4 percent support in four approved polls or 6 percent in two approved polls in early primary and caucus states.

While Booker has met the DNC’s donor threshold for the December debate, he’s nowhere close to meeting the polling requirement. He hasn’t registered 4 percent in a committee-approved poll in months.

Booker’s failure to qualify for the debate stage next week will mark the first time he will not appear at one of this year’s DNC-sanctioned debates. Instead of traveling to Los Angeles, where the debate is set to take place, Booker said he will embark on a tour of Iowa, the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

“I’ll be doing what we’ve done for the last ten months of this campaign and throughout my time in public service—meeting people where they are, in living rooms and church basements, at coffee shops and in diners, and discussing how to tackle the most pressing challenges we face,” Booker tweeted.

I’ll be doing what we’ve done for the last ten months of this campaign and throughout my time in public service—meeting people where they are, in living rooms and church basements, at coffee shops and in diners, and discussing how to tackle the most pressing challenges we face.

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) December 12, 2019