Lead up to the First Presidential Primary Debate

(ema, revised June 26, 2019)  The months leading up to the first Democratic presidential primary debate on June 26-27 saw a lot of jockeying among the lower tier candidates to meet the qualification criteria.  The DNC announced the rules for qualifying for the debate on Feb. 14; they required a) achieving 1-percent showings in three recognized polls or b) reaching a grassroots fundraising threshold of 65,000 unique donors.  They also state, "If more than 20 candidates qualify for the debate, the top 20 candidates will be selected using a methodology that gives primacy to candidates meeting both thresholds, followed by the highest polling average, followed by the most unique donors."  The urgency and importance of meeting the 65,000-donor threshold was a major focus for many of the less prominent candidates and their campaigns in April and May.  There was a fair bit of speculation about whether this or that candidate would be able to make the stage.

To accomodate the large number of candidates, the debate is occuring over two nights on June 26 and 27.  In late May a new rule was annoiunced to ensure that each debate includes a mix of top and lower tier candidates, i.e. there will be no "kiddie table" debate.   A drawing to determine groupings took place on June 14.  The positions of the candidates on the stage for each night's debate were determined by their strength in the polls, with the frontrunners in the center and the longshots at the edges of the stage.

Three candidates did not qualify: Bullock, Messam and Moulton.  The Bullock campaign in particular raised hue and cry over the Montana governor's exclusion, arguing that he had been focused on doing his job.  On June 6 the Bullock campaign charged he was being disqualified due to a "secret rule change."  At issue was one of the qualifying polls the campaign had counted on, which the DNC did not accept.  A DNC spokesperson said the DNC notified the Bullock campaign several times beginning in March that this poll would not count because it was open-ended and not a traditional horse race question.
PRESS RELEASES
June 18, 2019 - NBC News: Biden/Sanders, Warren/O'Rourke to be center stage at first debate.

June 14, 2019 - NBC announces lineup of Democrats for each of the two nights for first 2020 debate.

June 13, 2019 – DNC announces candidates participating in first democratic presidential primary debate.

June 11, 2019 - NBC News: Moderators announced for the first Democratic presidential debate.

June 6, 2019 - Bullock for President controversy over "a secret rule change for debate qualification."

latter part of May 2019 - A new random selection rule issued to ensure no "kiddie table" debate.

Mar. 28, 2019 - Announcement that first DNC presidential primary debate to be held in Miami.

Feb. 14, 2019 - DNC announces details for the first two presidential primary debates.

Dec. 20, 2018 - DNC announces framework for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary debates.

ARTICLES
Zach Montellaro.  "Who’s in — and out — of the first Democratic debates."  Politico, June 6, 2019
Kendall Karson.  "20 presidential candidates qualify for first Democratic National Committee debates, reaching limit."  ABC News, June 6, 2019.

NBC News
June 18, 2019

Biden/Sanders, Warren/O'Rourke to be center stage at first debate

The candidates with the highest polling averages will stand side-by-side at the NBC-sponsored face off June 26 and 27.

LINK: https://nbcnews.to/2XqVIHA

When the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates take the debate stage in downtown Miami next week, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders will be right in the middle of the action.
 
NBC announced on Tuesday the candidate positions on the stage for the two-night event on June 26 and 27, and it will feature the contenders who've been leading in the polls in the middle of the stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.
 
That means on Night One, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas will be in the middle, while Night Two will feature former vice president Biden and Sanders, the Vermont senator, standing side-by-side at center stage.
 
The 10 participants for each night were selected in a drawing at NBC News' headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Friday.
 
The podium placements were based on each of the candidates' qualifying public polling through Wednesday, June 12. The placements started with top polling candidates beginning at the center positions, with lower polling contenders being place closer to the edges of the state. Candidates who were tied in the polls were ranked based on the overall number of qualifying polls.
 
Landing on the outskirts of the debate stage for Night One are New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney. Self-help author Marianne Williamson and California Rep. Eric Swalwell are on the edges for Night Two.
 
The lineup for the second night of the debate is likely a bit of a disappointment for businessman Andrew Yang, who told Politico he was hoping to stand next to Biden "so the country can Google, ‘Who's the Asian man next to Joe Biden,’ and then they will discover Andrew Yang."
 
The entrepreneur will be standing one person away from Biden, in between South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper.
 
Night One will feature, from left to right: de Blasio, Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, former housing secretary Julián Castro, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Warren, O'Rourke, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, and Delaney.
 
Night Two will have, from left to right: Williamson, Hickenlooper, Yang, Buttigieg, Biden, Sanders, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado and Swalwell.
 
The event is hosted by NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo, and will air live across all three from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET both nights. The debate will stream online for free on NBC News' digital platforms, including NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, the NBC News Mobile App and OTT apps, in addition to Telemundo's digital platforms.
 
Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow and José Diaz-Balart will moderate the debate, NBC announced last week.
 
# # #
NBC News
June 14, 2019

NBC announces lineup of Democrats for each of the two nights for first 2020 debate

Today, NBC News announced the candidate lineups for each night of the first Democratic presidential debates airing at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 26 and Thursday, June 27 in Miami, Fla. See below for each night lineup listed in order of draw selection. Additional background information on the draw process also below.

 

LINK: https://nbcnews.to/2XbvuJ3

  

Night 1: Wednesday, June 26

 

  1. Sen. Cory Booker
  2. Sen. Elizabeth Warren
  3. Rep. Beto O’Rourke
  4. Sen. Amy Klobuchar
  5. Rep. John Delaney
  6. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
  7. Sec. Julian Castro
  8. Rep. Tim Ryan
  9. Mayor Bill de Blasio
  10. Gov. Jay Inslee

 

Night 2: Thursday, June 27

 

  1. Sen. Bernie Sanders
  2. Sen. Kamala Harris
  3. Vice President Joe Biden
  4. Mayor Pete Buttigieg
  5. Sen. Michael Bennet
  6. Ms. Marianne Williamson
  7. Rep. Eric Swalwell
  8. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
  9. Mr. Andrew Yang
  10. Gov. John Hickenlooper

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE DRAWING PROCESS:
 
It was a manual, in-person draw at NBC News Headquarters at 30 Rock
 
One representative of each of the qualifying campaigns was invited to attend the draw along with DNC officials
 
Campaign representatives saw their respective candidate’s paper slip with their name on it before it was folded and placed inside the box.
 
A representative from NBC News Standards & Practices conducted the draw
 
Candidates were divided into two groups:
 
  1. Those who polled on average at or above 2% through midnight on Wednesday, June 12
 
  1. Those who polled on average below 2% through midnight on Wednesday, June 12
 
A random draw then took place, pulling from each of the respective above groups to create two separate groupings of 10.
 
NBC News then designated each of the groupings to a specific debate night.
 
Candidate podium placements will be based on polling and announced at a later date.
 
Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow and José Díaz-Balart will moderate the two-hour, back-to-back prime time live events from the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida. The debate will be broadcast live across all three networks with real-time Spanish-language translations on Telemundo. In addition, the two-night special event will also be streamed for free on NBC News’ digital properties, including NBC News NOW, NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, NBC News Mobile App, and OTT apps in addition to Telemundo’s digital platforms.
Democratic National Committee
June 13, 2019

DNC Announces Candidates Participating in First Democratic Presidential Primary Debate

Today, the DNC announced that twenty candidates have been invited to participate in the first Democratic presidential primary debate.  Each candidate was invited based on the qualification criteria agreed to by the DNC and NBC News, announced publicly in February.

The first debate will take place over two back-to-back nights at 9 p.m. ET on June 26 and 27, 2019, in Miami, Florida. The debate will be broadcast in prime time on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo, and will be streamed online for free on a variety of digital and social platforms.

The following candidates have been invited to participate in the first primary debate:


Sen. Michael Bennet

Vice President Joe Biden*

Sen. Cory Booker*

Mayor Pete Buttigieg*

Sec. Julian Castro*

Mayor Bill de Blasio

Rep. John Delaney

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard*

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand*

Sen. Kamala Harris*

Gov. John Hickenlooper

Gov. Jay Inslee*

Sen. Amy Klobuchar*

Rep. Beto O’Rourke*

Rep. Tim Ryan

Sen. Bernie Sanders*

Rep. Eric Swalwell

Sen. Elizabeth Warren*

Ms. Marianne Williamson*

Mr. Andrew Yang*


* Candidates marked by an asterisk qualified through both polling and grassroots fundraising thresholds.  The remaining candidates qualified through polling only.
NBC News
June 11, 2019

NBC News: Moderators announced for the first Democratic presidential debate

This morning on TODAY, NBC News announced the moderators for the first Democratic presidential debate on June 26 and June 27 sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee. Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow and José Díaz-Balart will moderate the two-hour, back-to-back prime time live events from the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida.

Official titles:

·    Lester Holt, anchor of NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and Dateline NBC

·    Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor of TODAY and NBC News chief legal analyst 

·    Chuck Todd, moderator of Meet the Press with Chuck Todd and NBC News political director 

·    Rachel Maddow, host of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC 

·    José Díaz-Balart, anchor of Noticias Telemundo and NBC Nightly News Saturday  


The format for both debate nights will be the same. Lester Holt will appear in both hours of the debate each night including moderating the first hour with Savannah Guthrie and Jose Diaz-Balart. He will be joined by Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow in the second hour.
Ed. note: A DNC spokesperson said the DNC notified the Bullock campaign several times beginning in March that this poll would not count because it was open-ended and not a traditional horse race question. 
Bullock for President
June 7, 2019 letter from Montana Democrats [.png]

Bullock for President
June 6, 2019 press release

TO:  Interested Parties
FROM: Jenn Ridder, Bullock Campaign Manager
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 2019
RE: DNC Could Block Only Democrat Who Won Red State From Debate Stage

In response to the DNC’s announcement today of a secret rule change for debate qualification, the Bullock for President Campaign released the following statement and below memo:
"While Governor Bullock was expanding Medicaid to one in ten Montanans despite a nearly 60% Republican legislature, the DNC was making arbitrary rules behind closed doors. The DNC's unmasking of this rule unfairly singles out the only Democratic candidate who won a Trump state — and penalizes him for doing his job."
— Jenn Ridder, Bullock Campaign Manager

DNC’s Secret Rule Could Block Only Dem Who Won a Red State

Today, just seven days from the debate cutoff, the DNC decided to change its publicly declared rules for qualifying for the first debate. The new rule from the DNC disqualifies a poll from the Washington Post/ABC that had been included by the DNC's previously announced criteria.

This secret rule change affects only one candidate — Governor Steve Bullock. That means the DNC is singling out the only Democrat who won a Trump state, and potentially blocking him from the debate stage. Because Governor Bullock waited to get into the race until he passed Medicaid expansion for nearly 100,000 Montanans, this effectively punishes Governor Steve Bullock for doing his job and finishing out his legislative session.

By not publicly announcing this rule until one week before the debate qualifying deadline, by stonewalling repeated reporter requests about the rule, by excluding an open-ended poll that’s actually harder to register in, and by not sharing the rule in writing with all presidential campaigns, the DNC rule could block the only Democrat who won in a Trump state from the stage.

If Democrats want to win back the places we lost like Michigan and Wisconsin, the DNC shouldn’t bar the only Democrat who has won a Trump state. If Democrats want to win back middle America and not leave out the voice of rural voters, the DNC can’t just focus on patches of deep blue.
 
Governor Bullock Was Doing His Job
Governor Bullock was one of the last candidates to declare his candidacy because he is the sitting Governor of a red state with a nearly 60% Republican legislature that meets for just 90 days every two years. Instead of spending money on hitting arbitrary thresholds, he spent January through May expanding Medicaid, freezing college tuition, banning foreign money from state elections, and protecting a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions.

At every opportunity, Governor Bullock will choose to improve the lives of everyday people over appeasing a handful of Washington insiders — it’s exactly why he’s running for President.
 
The DNC's Original Rules For Debate Qualification

The DNC publicly announced rules for debate qualification on February 14, 2019. It included four requirements for a poll to be considered “qualifying.”

Polling Rules
 
Time: Poll must be released between Jan. 1st and two weeks before the debate.
Source: Poll must be from one of 18 approved organizations.
Sample: Poll must be national, IA, NH, SC, or NV.
Share: Candidates must get 1% or more in a poll.
Bullock’s Qualifying Polls
 
Washington Post/ABC News, 2/8/2019

Des Moines Register, 3/9/19

Reuters/Ipsos, 4/24/2019

The Washington Post/ABC Poll Counts Under Original Public Rules

In addition to meeting the DNC’s four metrics for qualifying, the Washington Post/ABC poll met additional benchmarks:

  • Poll was deemed to meet public rules by several news organizations:
  • Poll comes from two approved organizations:
    • Washington Post
    • ABC
  • An open-ended poll is actually harder to register in, as voters must name their preferred candidate without reading from a list of names.
###

DNC-NBC News Rule

See: Zach Montellaro and Steven Shepard.  "Dems institute rule to prevent 'undercard' debate in June."  Politico, May 24, 2019.

per DNC here is the rule:

The final list of debate participants (after any tie-breaking procedure is executed, if necessary) will be divided into two groups:  candidates with a polling average of 2% or above, and those with a polling average below 2%. 

Both groups will be randomly divided between Wednesday night and Thursday night, thus ensuring that both groups are represented fairly on each night. 

Democratic National Committee       ...see also NBC release
March 28, 2019

First DNC Presidential Primary Debate to be Held in Miami

First debate on June 26 - 27 in Miami

Today, the DNC is proud to announce that the first presidential primary debate, broadcast live on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo, will be held in Miami, Florida. The debate will take place in prime time on back-to-back nights on June 26 and 27.  

The debate will be broadcast live across all three networks with real-time Spanish translations on Telemundo. Our broadcast partners are fully committed to providing accessible communications for deaf and disabled viewers as well. The debate will be streamed for free on NBC News’ digital properties, including NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, NBC News Mobile App, and OTT apps in addition to Telemundo’s digital platforms.

The debate lineups for each night will be determined at random to provide each candidate with a fair opportunity to make his or her case to a large, national audience. Additional details on the venue, moderators, communication accessibility, and timing will be announced at a later date.

“Miami is a vibrant and dynamic city that reflects the values and diversity of the Democratic Party. I couldn’t imagine a better setting for our first debate,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “Throughout every step of this process, we’ve focused on empowering the grassroots and ensuring that we hold the most transparent, inclusive, and fair primary in our party’s history. I’m thrilled that we’ll get the chance to showcase our terrific candidates to voters in Florida and across the nation.”

“Miami is the perfect place to introduce our extraordinary presidential candidates to the country,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo. “When they take the stage, they’re going to show the American people that the Democratic Party is the party of ideas. We’re fighting to empower voters, expand opportunity, and build a brighter future for all Americans. People are hungry for new leadership in the White House, and after the first debate, they’re going to be fired up and ready to organize for Democrats.”  
Democratic National Committee
February 14, 2018

DNC Announces Details For The First Two Presidential Primary Debates

NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo to host first debate in June; CNN to host second in July

Last year, DNC Chair Tom Perez announced that his goals for the Democratic presidential primary debates are to (1) give the grassroots a bigger voice than ever before; (2)  showcase our candidates on an array of media platforms; (3) present an opportunity for vigorous discussion about issues, ideas and solutions; and (4) reach as many potential voters as possible.  Perez announced 12 presidential primary debates to be held over the course of the 2020 cycle, with the first two occurring in June and July of 2019.

Today, the DNC is proud to announce NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo as its partner for the first debate and CNN as its partner for the second debate.  To accommodate what is expected to be a historically large primary field, both debates will have the option of occurring over consecutive nights in prime time to make room for as many as twenty candidates, with the lineups for each night determined at random.  This approach will provide each candidate with a fair opportunity to make his or her case to a large, national audience.

This agreement is unprecedented -  no debate has ever aired in prime time on back-to-back nights. Both debates will be streamed online for free.

The DNC also announced the qualification criteria for candidates’ participation in the first two debates - a two-path system that employs both a polling threshold and a grassroots fundraising threshold, and uses the two measures in combination in the event that more than 20 candidates qualify.
 
“As Chair of the DNC, I am committed to running an open and transparent primary process.  To that end, we’ve spent months working with media partners to provide this unprecedented opportunity for candidates and voters to get to know each other.  Because campaigns are won on the strength of their grassroots, we also updated the threshold, giving all types of candidates the opportunity to reach the debate stage and giving small-dollar donors a bigger voice in the primary than ever before.” - DNC Chair Tom Perez
 
DETAILS ON MEDIA PARTNERS:

  • The DNC will partner with NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo to host the first debate of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary process. The debate will be broadcast simultaneously on all three networks, with real-time Spanish translations on Telemundo, in prime time on back-to-back weeknights in June. The debate will also be streamed for free on NBC News’ digital platforms including NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, NBC News Mobile App, and OTT apps in addition to Telemundo’s digital platforms.
  • The July debate will be broadcast on CNN, CNN International, and CNN en Español in prime time on back-to-back weeknights if more than one night is needed. An unauthenticated live stream of the debate will also be available for all users on CNN’s website, mobile apps and connected TVs via CNNgo.
  • Both agreements are unprecedented -  no debate has ever aired in prime time on back-to-back nights before.
  • Location, venue, moderators, date and time, format and logistics of the first and second debates will be announced at a later date.
 
DETAILS ON THRESHOLD FOR PARTICIPATION:

 

Democratic candidates may qualify for the first and second debate by meeting one of the two following sets of criteria:
 
  • Polling Method: Register 1% or more support in three polls (which may be national polls, or polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and/or Nevada) publicly released between January 1, 2019, and 14 days prior to the date of the Organization Debate.  Qualifying polls will be limited to those sponsored by one or more of the following organizations/institutions:Associated Press, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Des Moines Register, Fox News, Las Vegas Review Journal, Monmouth University, NBC News, New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR), Quinnipiac University, Reuters, University of New Hampshire, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, Winthrop University.  Any candidate’s three qualifying polls must be conducted by different organizations, or if by the same organization, must be in different geographical areas.
  • Grassroots Fundraising Method. Candidates may qualify for the debate by demonstrating that the campaign has received donations from at least (1) 65,000 unique donors; and (2) a minimum of 200 unique donors per state in at least 20 U.S. states.  To demonstrate that the fundraising threshold has been reached, candidates must provide verifiable evidence, which they may do by authorizing ActBlue and/or NGP VAN to provide that evidence.
  • If more than 20 candidates qualify for the debate, the top 20 candidates will be selected using a methodology that gives primacy to candidates meeting both thresholds, followed by the highest polling average, followed by the most unique donors.



Press Contacts:

DNC
Adrienne Watson
Trump War Room Director

NBC News
Richard Hudock
Director of Communications

CNN
Lauren Pratapas
Senior Director, Communications
Democratic National Committee
December 20, 2018

DNC Announces Framework for the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary Debates

Washington, D.C. -- Since his campaign for chair of the Democratic National Committee, DNC Chair Tom Perez has promised to conduct a presidential primary process that is transparent, fair, inclusive, and puts the party in the best possible position to take back the White House in 2020.

Perez has followed through on this promise by passing historic reforms that have expanded the use of primaries, made caucuses more accessible, reduced the influence of superdelegates, and increased transparency of the DNC’s budget and operations. He is continuing this effort with his approach to the presidential primary debates.

Perez and his team have held more than 80 meetings over the course of many months with a variety of individuals who have knowledge of and experience with the debate process.

Today, Chair Perez is pleased to announce the DNC’s framework for several key elements of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary debate process.

“To win back the presidency in 2020, Democrats must lead with our values. That began with the historic reforms to expand and increase trust in our party, and it will continue by conducting party business fairly, transparently, and inclusively throughout the 2020 primary process,” said Chair Perez. “To that end, we have listened and learned about debate experiences from a wide array of stakeholders.

“My goal in this framework is to give the grassroots a bigger voice than ever before; to showcase our candidates on an array of media platforms; to present opportunity for vigorous discussion about issues, ideas and solutions; and to reach as many potential voters as possible. That is how we will put our nominee in the strongest position possible to defeat Donald Trump, and how we will help elect Democrats up and down the ballot.”

KEY DETAILS OF THE 2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY DEBATE CALENDAR:
  • The DNC is announcing 12 presidential primary debates over the course of the 2020 cycle, with six debates in 2019 and six in 2020.
  • The first two debates will occur in June and July 2019. After a break in August, there will be one debate per month for the rest of 2019.
  • The DNC currently plans to hold its last debate in April of 2020. All early-state debates will be held in 2020.
  • The DNC will not bar candidates from participating in forums in which one candidate appears on stage at a time. The DNC will ask candidates to refrain from participating in debates other than the 12 debates sanctioned by the DNC.
  • In order to give our candidates a platform to make their case to voters, the DNC will seek to maximize the viewership of each debate.
  • The DNC will announce specific dates, locations, sponsors and more in 2019.
  • Given the fluid nature of the presidential nominating process, the DNC will continuously assess the state of the race and make adjustments to this process as appropriate, and always transparently.  
FOR THE FIRST TWO DEBATES:

  • The first two debates will occur in June and July 2019.  In order to accommodate a potentially large field of candidates, both may occur over multiple consecutive nights. 
  • In the event that the qualifying field of candidates requires these debates to be held over multiple nights, the lineup for each night will be determined at random, with qualifying candidates assigned one night per debate. The random selection of candidates will be done publicly.
  • In addition to meeting the filing and constitutional requirements to run for President of the United States, candidates will qualify for the first two debates by meeting criteria that include both polling and other objective measures that reflect a candidate’s support, such as grassroots fundraising.  
  • The specific criteria for the first two debates will be announced in January 2019.