WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee announced new rules Friday for candidates to participate in the sixth presidential debate in December, and once again it doesn’t look good for Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
The DNC’s upped both the fundraising and polling requirements for candidates to qualify for the debate, which will be hosted by PBS Newshour and Politico.
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard says she’s all-in on her presidential run despite low poll numbers.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Candidates must be able to show that by Dec. 13 they received financial contributions from at least 200,000 unique donors, with 800 each in at least 20 states.
The candidates must also get 4% in at least four qualifying polls conducted nationally or in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada between Oct. 16 and Dec. 12.
A candidate can also qualify if they hit 6% in at least two polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada.
Gabbard, who announced late Thursday that she would not run for re-election in Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, has struggled in most polls. According to Real Clear Politics, Gabbard’s average support nationally is 1.3%.
She doesn’t fare much better in early primary states where her average poll numbers range between 1% and 2%. Her best showings have come in New Hampshire where she twice hit 6% in polls that did not count toward the DNC’s qualifications.
Low polls numbers are the reason Gabbard missed out on the September debates, and is likely to miss out on the November contest as well that requires candidates to get 3% support in at least four polls or 5% in two surveys conducted in early primary states.
So far Gabbard has only reached 3% support in one qualifying poll, according to data tracked by Politico.
The congresswoman has criticized the polling requirements, often in a conspiratorial tone, saying the DNC lacked transparency and was “rigging the election.”
The new DNC requirements come as U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan this week ended his presidential campaign, leaving 18 Democrats still in the running out of a previous 25.
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Nick Grube is a reporter for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at nick@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at @nickgrube. You can also reach him by phone at 808-377-0246.