Here's who will be onstage for the December Democratic debate co-hosted by PBS NewsHour and Politico, and how to watch
- The requirements to make the sixth Democratic presidential primary debate in December are the strictest the DNC has set so far, and it could make for the most intimate debate stage yet.
- Candidates must both secure 200,000 individual donors and earn 4% in four DNC-approved national or early-state polls, or 6% in two early-state polls to qualify for the debate.
- So far, just six candidates have met both qualification thresholds, but a few more can still qualify.
- The December debate will be co-hosted by PBS NewsHour and Politico on Thursday, December 19 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The requirements to make the sixth Democratic presidential primary debate in December are the strictest the Democratic National Committee has set so far, and it could make for the most intimate debate stage yet.
Candidates must both secure 200,000 individual donors, of which 800 must be from 20 different states or territories, and earn 4% in four DNC-approved national or early-state polls from Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, or Nevada.
Alternatively, candidates can satisfy the polling requirement by reaching 6% in two early-state polls. Polls released by December 12, the week before the debate, will count towards qualification.
Ten candidates qualified for the fifth Democratic primary debate, which had less strict qualification thresholds and was co-hosted by the Washington Post and MSNBC in the Atlanta, Georgia, area on Wednesday, November 20.
The December debate will be co-hosted by PBS NewsHour and Politico on Thursday, December 19, at Loyola Marymount University in the first DNC primary debate to be held on the West coast. The moderators, timing, and format of the debate have not yet been announced.
California moved up its primary date to Super Tuesday, situating the delegate-rich state as a key player in the 2020 primary.
Who will be on stage:
So far, these six candidates have met both the polling and fundraising requirements, according to Politico's tracker of DNC-approved debate polls:
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana
- Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
- Sen. Kamala Harris of California
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Businessman Andrew Yang has met the donor requirement and has three out of the four necessary qualifying polls, giving him a good chance at making the stage. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Tom Steyer have three and four qualifying polls, respectively, but neither have reached the donor threshold.
How to watch:
The debate will broadcast live on all local PBS stations and will be additionally simulcast by CNN, CNN International, and CNN En Español. You can also watch the debate on PBS.com, Politico.com, CNN.com, and all CNN and PBS iOS, Android, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon apps, or tune in to your local PBS radio station.
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