The qualifying criteria for the next Democratic debate are out, and they manage to exclude the only veteran and only woman of color left in the race: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D–Hawaii).
This afternoon, Politico reported that the candidates still in the running for the Democratic presidential nomination will need to have earned at least 20 percent of the delegates awarded thus far in order to participate in the March 15 debate hosted by CNN and Univision in Phoenix, Arizona.
That means that only former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.), who respectively have 48 percent and 41 percent of the delegates so far, will be on next Sunday’s stage.
Despite her strong showing in the American Samoa caucuses where she won two delegates, Gabbard still falls short of that very high threshold.
Had the Democratic National Committee stuck with its criteria for the last debate it held on February 25—which only required each candidate to have won a single delegate—Gabbard would have qualified.
Former SLED investigator who testified at Alex Murdaugh trial fired from Charleston County Sheriff’s Office
Brooklyn coffee shop that targeted Jewish congressman faces DOJ probe after reported tax, health code issues
Nearby Residents Told to Stay Inside as Semi Carrying Millions of Bees Overturns
Senate Schedule Rearranged as Mitch McConnell Is Set to Miss Another Full Week of Voting
Republicans break with Trump to rebuke Iran war — but it won’t change policy
DHS demands New York sanctuary politicians honor detainer for man convicted of raping corpse on subway
Marjorie Taylor Greene follows Tucker Carlson in ditching the ‘America Last’ Republican Party
Iranian leaders project newfound confidence with international travel spree
Top Republican pitches Trump plan to stop shutdowns, expose ‘bad guys’ blocking voter ID law
Cruz says Mamdani, AOC, Platner show Democrats’ leftward shift: ‘That’s where the energy is’
Social media erupts over Mamdani’s silence after Brooklyn coffee shop bans Jewish congressman
MLB Issues Unexpected Response on Players With Bible Verses on Uniforms, Says They Will Never Be Fined
Air traffic control audio captures tense moment two planes nearly collided at Boston Logan Airport
Foreign Born Biden Judge Named ‘Sparkle’ Strikes Down Trump Database to Purge Illegal Voters Because It Purges Voters
Swalwell pal accused of using campaign cash to bankroll ‘luxury lifestyle’ — including Super Bowl tickets
DNC Communications Director Xochitl Hinojosa foreshadowed this decision on Super Tuesday, saying on Twitter that “by the time we have the March debate, almost 2,000 delegates will be allocated. The threshold will reflect where we are in the race, as it always has.”
We have two more debates– of course the threshold will go up. By the time we have the March debate, almost 2,000 delegates will be allocated. The threshold will reflect where we are in the race, as it always has.
— Xochitl Hinojosa (@XochitlHinojosa) March 4, 2020
In response to the expected rule change, Gabbard tweeted Thursday about her campaign’s foreign policy focus, and how that can’t be separated from the domestic issues that have gotten the most attention in past debates.
Former SLED investigator who testified at Alex Murdaugh trial fired from Charleston County Sheriff’s Office
Brooklyn coffee shop that targeted Jewish congressman faces DOJ probe after reported tax, health code issues
Nearby Residents Told to Stay Inside as Semi Carrying Millions of Bees Overturns
Senate Schedule Rearranged as Mitch McConnell Is Set to Miss Another Full Week of Voting
Republicans break with Trump to rebuke Iran war — but it won’t change policy
DHS demands New York sanctuary politicians honor detainer for man convicted of raping corpse on subway
Marjorie Taylor Greene follows Tucker Carlson in ditching the ‘America Last’ Republican Party
Iranian leaders project newfound confidence with international travel spree
Top Republican pitches Trump plan to stop shutdowns, expose ‘bad guys’ blocking voter ID law
Cruz says Mamdani, AOC, Platner show Democrats’ leftward shift: ‘That’s where the energy is’
Social media erupts over Mamdani’s silence after Brooklyn coffee shop bans Jewish congressman
MLB Issues Unexpected Response on Players With Bible Verses on Uniforms, Says They Will Never Be Fined
Air traffic control audio captures tense moment two planes nearly collided at Boston Logan Airport
Foreign Born Biden Judge Named ‘Sparkle’ Strikes Down Trump Database to Purge Illegal Voters Because It Purges Voters
Swalwell pal accused of using campaign cash to bankroll ‘luxury lifestyle’ — including Super Bowl tickets
I welcome the opportunity to raise & discuss the foreign policy challenges we face, like the new cold war/nuclear arms race, Turkey's efforts to drag the U.S. into a war with Russia over Syria, the coronavirus, & more. Domestic policy cannot be separated from foreign policy. https://t.co/jgVxSz1huX
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) March 5, 2020
Biden and Sanders have sparred in the past over the former’s initial support for the Iraq War, so there is some chance that the two candidates’ contrasting foreign policy visions will be on display come the next debate.
Still, it might have been interesting to have Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran, up on stage to offer her own unique perspective on foreign policy. She’s repeatedly argued that rising tensions between the U.S., Russia, and China is putting the country on the road to nuclear war.
A Bernie-Biden smackdown will likely feature less talk of a nuclear apocalypse and a lot more bickering about health care. That’s enough to get anyone running for their fall out shelter.
Story cited here.
