Just when you thought she was out of the Democratic presidential debates, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) is back in.
After participating in the first two rounds of presidential debates, Gabbard didn't qualify for the third in September, having failed to reach two percent support in four qualifying polls. But thanks to a Monmouth University New Hampshire poll released Tuesday, she's now qualified for the next debate in October, Politico reports. Gabbard had already surpassed the 130,000 individual donor requirement.
This means the debate stage is set to grow from 10 candidates in September to at least 12 candidates in October. Since there are more than 10 candidates, the event looks likely to take place over two nights, although the Democratic National Committee has not confirmed that.
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The candidates who have qualified are former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, billionaire Tom Steyer, and Gabbard. This will be Steyer's first time participating in the Democratic debates.
The requirements for this upcoming fourth debate were the same as they were for the third, but for the fifth debate, they're being raised slightly to three percent support in four qualifying polls (or 5 percent in two early states) and 165,000 individual donors. In latest the New Hampshire poll, Gabbard is at two percent.
No one else is currently expected to qualify for the fourth debate, which is set to begin on Oct. 15.
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