Lead up to the Third Presidential Primary Debate


PRESS RELEASES
Aug. 29, 2019 - ABC News Announces Podium Order for Qualifying Candidates at Third Democratic Debate on September 12

Aug. 29, 2019 - ABC News Announces Debate Date and Time, Qualifying Candidates and Coverage

Aug. 21, 2019 - ABC News Announces Details on Third Democratic Debate in Houston

July 9, 2019 - DNC: Third Democratic Presidential Primary Debate to be Held in Houston

May 29, 2019 - DNC Announces Details For Third Presidential Primary Debate

from the excluded campaigns...


ABC News
August 29, 2019

ABC News Announces Podium Order for Qualifying Candidates at Third Democratic Debate on September 12

ABC News announced today the podium order for the 10 qualifying candidates at the third Democratic Debate.
 
The candidates will appear on the stage in the following order, from left to right. Polling averages determined the podium order based on the last 10 polls certified for qualification by the DNC with the highest polling candidates near the center:
 
  • Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
  • New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
  • South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
  • Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
  • Former Vice President Joe Biden
  • Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
  • California Sen. Kamala Harris
  • Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
  • Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke
  • Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro
Democratic National Committee
August 29, 2019

DNC And ABC Announce Candidates Participating In Third Democratic Presidential Primary Debate

Today, the DNC and ABC announced that 10 candidates have been invited to participate in the third Democratic presidential primary debate. Each candidate was invited based on qualification criteria agreed to by the DNC and ABC and announced in May 2019.
 
The debate will air on the ABC television network, on Univision with Spanish translation, and on ABC News Live, the network’s streaming channel. It will also be available on the ABCNews.com website and apps, as well as Hulu Live, The Roku Channel, and Facebook Watch, among other outlets.

The DNC and ABC previously announced that the third debate will take place on September 12 in Houston, Texas.

Based on the qualification criteria agreed to by the DNC and ABC and announced in May 2019, the following candidates have been invited to participate in the third primary debate:

Vice President Joe Biden

Sen. Cory Booker

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Sec. Julian Castro

Sen. Kamala Harris

Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Rep. Beto O’Rourke

Sen. Bernie Sanders

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Mr. Andrew Yang

ABC News
August 29, 2019

ABC NEWS ANNOUNCES DEMOCRATIC DEBATE DATE AND TIME, QUALIFYING CANDIDATES AND COVERAGE

The Primetime Event in Partnership with Univision Will Air on Thursday, September 12 From 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET from Texas Southern University
 
ABC News Live Will Announce Podium Order of Candidates Today at 3:30 p.m. ET
 
ABC News today announced the Democratic Debate will air on Thursday, September 12 from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET on the ABC Television Network and Univision. ABC News is partnering with Univision on the debate sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee at Texas Southern University’s Health & PE Center in Houston.
 
The following 10 candidates have qualified to participate in the debate. The podium order will be announced today at 3:30 p.m. ET during “The Briefing Room” on ABC News Live. The debate format will be one minute and 15 seconds for direct responses to questions and 45 seconds for responses and rebuttals. Candidates will have the opportunity to deliver opening statements, but there will be no closing statements.
 
  • Former Vice President Joe Biden
  • New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
  • South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg
  • Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro
  • California Sen. Kamala Harris
  • Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
  • Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke
  • Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
  • Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
  • Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
 
Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos, “World News Tonight” Anchor and Managing Editor David Muir, ABC News Correspondent Linsey Davis and Univision Anchor Jorge Ramos will moderate the debate.
 
Beginning Tuesday, September 10 Muir will anchor “World News Tonight with David Muir” from Houston. Stephanopoulos will anchor “Good Morning America” from Houston beginning Wednesday, September 11, and Anchor Byron Pitts will anchor “Nightline” from Houston on Thursday, September 12 following the debate.
 
ABC News’ powerhouse political team, including Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, Chief White House CorrespondentJonathan Karl, Senior White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega, Chief National Affairs Correspondent and “World News Tonight” Weekend Anchor Tom Llamas, Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce, Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran, Political AnalystCokie Roberts, Special Correspondent Matthew Dowd, FiveThirtyEight Editor-in-Chief Nate Silver, Reporter Rachel Scott and Contributors Yvette Simpson, Heidi Heitkamp, Rahm Emanuel and Chris Christie will be on the ground in Houston reporting the latest developments from the campaign trail and the candidates and providing analysis before and after the debate.
 
In the lead up to the debates, “Nightline” will feature candidate profiles and travel across the country to speak directly with voters exploring the issues they care about during this election cycle. On Wednesday, September 11 “Nightline” will kick off a series that puts a spotlight on some of the leading 2020 Democratic presidential candidates before their political ambitions – interviewing friends, family, former classmates and faculty and others who knew the candidates during their formative years.
 
ABC News will provide comprehensive coverage and analysis of the debate beginning Monday, September 9 on ABC News Live, the network’s 24/7 breaking news and live events streaming channel, ABCNews.com, GoodMorningAmerica.com, and FiveThirtyEight. Additional digital, mobile and social media coverage includes:
  • ABC News Live will present the live one-hour pre-show before the debate and post-debate coverage and analysis with ABC News’ powerhouse political team.
  • “The Briefing Room,” ABC News Live’s daily politics program led by Senior Washington Reporter Devin Dwyer, will begin broadcasting from Houston on Wednesday, September 11 at 3:30 p.m. ET, and will have a special one-hour broadcast on Thursday, September 12.
  • “The Debrief,” the daily news program anchored by ABC News Live Anchor and Correspondent Kimberly Brooks, will broadcast live September 12 at 11:00 a.m. ET from Houston.
  • Social media newscast “On Location” will take audiences behind the scenes before the debate from Houston and will have a recap and post-debate analysis on September 13 – exclusively for Facebook Watch. 
  • FiveThirtyEight will have a special episode of the “FiveThirtyEight Politics” podcast, recorded from Houston, after the debate.FiveThirtyEight will also live blog the debate.
 
ABC News Radio will provide coverage of the Democratic Debate anchored by Correspondent Aaron Katersky in Houston. ABC News Radio will broadcast the debate in its entirety followed by post-debate analysis. In the hour leading up to the debate, ABC News Radio will offer affiliates an exclusive one-hour program, “Preview to the Democratic Debate.” It will provide four one-minute status reports each hour throughout the debate and the following morning. Host Brad Mielke will host the award-winning podcast “Start Here” from Houston on Thursday, September 12 and Friday, September 13, and a special edition of the “Powerhouse Politics” podcast, featuring Karl and ABC News Political Director Rick Klein, will tape in Houston the week of the debate.
 
HOW TO WATCH THE DEBATE: The ABC News Democratic Debate will air live nationally on the ABC Television Network and Univision (with a Spanish translation) and locally on KTRK-TV. ABC News will livestream the debate on ABC News Live – the network’s 24/7 breaking news and live events streaming channel – on Roku, Hulu, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube, Apple News, Facebook, Twitter, and the ABC News, Good Morning America and FiveThirtyEight websites and mobile phone apps. Univision News will also livestream the debate on all of its digital platforms including Facebook, YouTube and Periscope.
 
Members of the press can submit applications for media credentials at the following website through Tuesday, September 3:https://theabcnewsdebate.com/
 
ABC News Media Relations
Van Scott
ABC News
August 21, 2019

ABC NEWS ANNOUNCES DETAILS ON THIRD DEMOCRATIC DEBATE IN HOUSTON

The Prime-Time Event in Partnership with Univision Will Air on Thursday, Sept. 12, and, If Necessary, Friday, Sept. 13, from Texas Southern University


ABC News today announced chief anchor George Stephanopoulos, “World News Tonight” anchor and managing editor David Muir, ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis and Univision anchor Jorge Ramos will moderate the Democratic Debate on Thursday, Sept. 12, and, if necessary, Friday, Sept. 13, on ABC.

ABC News is partnering with Univision on the third debate sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee. The debate will take place at Texas Southern University’s Health & PE Arena in Houston.

ABC News’ powerhouse political team including chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz, chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl, senior White House correspondent Cecilia Vega, senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce, senior national correspondent Terry Moran, political analyst Cokie Roberts, special correspondent Matthew Dowd, FiveThirtyEight Editor-in-Chief Nate Silver, reporter Rachel Scott and contributors Yvette Simpson, Heidi Heitkamp, Rahm Emanuel and Chris Christie will be on the ground reporting the latest developments from the campaign trail and the candidates and providing analysis before and after the debate.

In order to qualify for the September debate, candidates must cross polling and grassroots funding thresholds. Candidates must receive 2% or more support in at least four national polls, or polls conducted in the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and/or Nevada. These polls must be sponsored by an approved organization and publicly released between June 28 and Aug. 28. Any candidates’ four qualifying polls must be conducted by different organizations or—if by the same organization—must be in different geographical areas. Candidates must have received donations from at least 130,000 unique donors over the course of the election cycle, with a minimum of 400 unique donors per state in at least 20 states. Qualifying donations must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 28 for the September debate.

If more than 10 candidates qualify under the rules, the debate will take place over two nights. For the two-night scenario ABC News, in accordance with the DNC, will hold a selection event on Aug. 29 to randomly assign the candidates to each night. The format of the debate will be one minute and 15 seconds for direct responses to questions and 45 seconds for rebuttals.

HOW TO WATCH THE DEBATE: The ABC News Democratic Debate will air live nationally on ABC and Univision (with a Spanish translation) and locally on KTRK-TV. ABC News will livestream the debate on ABC News Live—the network’s 24/7 breaking news and live events streaming channel—on Roku, Hulu, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube, Apple News, Facebook, Twitter, and the ABC News site and mobile phone apps. Univision News will also livestream the debate on all of its digital platforms including Facebook, YouTube and Periscope.

Members of the press can submit applications for media credentials at the following website: https://theabcnewsdebate.com/

For more information follow ABC News PR on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABC News Media Relations
Van Scott

van.scott@abc.com

ABC News hosts the Democratic Presidential Debate in partnership with Univision, KTRK and Texas Southern University and sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee on Thursday, September 12 and Friday, September 13.
 
The debate will be at Texas Southern University’s Health & PE Center, 3010 Wheeler Ave., 77004. The ABC News media filing center, spin room and radio row are located at Texas Southern University Recreational Center, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX 77004.
Democratic National Committee
July 9, 2019

Third Democratic Presidential Primary Debate to be Held in Houston

Third debate on September 12 - 13 in Houston

Today, the DNC is proud to announce that the third presidential primary debate, hosted by ABC News, in partnership with Univision, will be held in Houston, Texas.  The debate may occur over consecutive nights in prime time to accommodate a large field of qualifying candidates, with the first night on September 12 and the potential second night on September 13.

The debate will air on the ABC television network, on Univision with Spanish translation, and on ABC News Live, the network’s streaming channel. It will be available on the ABCNews.com website and apps, as well as Hulu Live, The Roku Channel, and Facebook Watch, among other outlets. 

Additional details on the venue, moderators, communication accessibility, and timing will be announced at a later date.

“The DNC made a wise choice by deciding to come to Houston for their third presidential debate,” said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. “We’re a city that represents what’s best about America. We’re resilient. We’re tough. We always look out for our neighbors. And we never stop working for a brighter future. But those aren’t just Houston values – those are the values of the Democratic Party too. So when the candidates take the stage, I know they’ll show the country what real leadership looks like. And I know they’ll get voters everywhere fired up to run Donald Trump out of the White House once and for all.” 

“I’m thrilled that we’ll be hosting the third Democratic primary debate here in the most diverse and dynamic city in the nation,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, “where we build relationships, not walls. When the debate comes to Texas, our party’s candidates will show everyone watching that the Democratic Party has the ideas and ambition that America sorely needs in the White House.”

"Texas is a battleground state, period,” said Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa. “We know that when Texas goes blue, the White House will follow. We are pleased that our partners at the Democratic National Committee have agreed to host the third presidential primary debate here in Texas.

“As the nation’s most diverse city, Houston is the perfect place for the Democratic Party’s third debate. Leaders like Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner have been key to making Houston the world-class city it is today,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “Like the people of Texas, our candidates come from all kinds of backgrounds, and are all united by their deeply held values. We’ve seen firsthand in Texas that organizing everywhere through the Texas Democratic Party has led to victories all across the state, including flipping a dozen state House seats and making the state more competitive than it has been in decades. Houston is the perfect place to showcase our candidates so that they can share their vision for a better future for the American people.”
Democratic National Committee
May 29, 2019 

DNC Announces Details For Third Presidential Primary Debate

ABC News, along with Univision, to host third debate, to be held during the second week of September

Today, the DNC announced that ABC News, in partnership with Univision, will host the third debate.  The debate may occur over consecutive nights in prime time to accommodate a large field of qualifying candidates, with the first night on September 12 and the potential second night on September 13.

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.

The debate will air on the ABC television network, on Univision with Spanish translation, and on ABC News Live, the network’s streaming channel. It will be available on the ABCNews.com website and apps, as well as Hulu Live, The Roku Channel, and Facebook Watch, among other outlets.  Location, format and moderators will be announced at a future date.

The qualification criteria for the September debate will also remain in place for October’s DNC-sanctioned debate. To qualify for the September and October debates, candidates must meet both the Polling Threshold and the Grassroots Fundraising Threshold, as detailed below:
1. Polling Threshold. Candidates must receive 2% or more support in at least four polls (which may be national polls, or polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and/or Nevada) meeting the following criteria (“Qualifying Poll Criteria”):
* Each poll must be sponsored by an approved organization, which presently includes the following: Associated Press, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Des Moines Register, Fox News, Monmouth University, NBC News, New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR), Quinnipiac University, University of New Hampshire, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and Winthrop University. Any candidate’s four qualifying polls must be conducted by different organizations, or if by the same organization, must be in different geographical areas.  The DNC and its media partners reserve the right to add a Nevada-specific poll sponsor to this list in the near future.

* For the September debate, each poll must be publicly released between June 28, 2019, and August 28, 2019.  Deadlines for qualifying polls ahead of the October debate will be released in the future.

* Each poll’s candidate support question must have been conducted by reading or presenting a list of Democratic presidential primary candidates to respondents. (Poll questions using an open-ended or un-aided question to gauge presidential primary support will not count).

 * Each polling result must be the top-line number listed in the original public release from the approved sponsoring organization/institution, whether or not it is a rounded or weighted number.

2. Grassroots Fundraising Threshold. Candidates must submit a certification, executed by the Presidential candidate’s campaign Treasurer, demonstrating that the campaign has received donations from a minimum of (1) 130,000 unique donors; and (2) 400 unique donors per state in at least 20 U.S. states. For the September debate, qualifying donations must be received by 11:59 P.M. on August 28, 2019.  Deadlines for qualifying donations ahead of the October debate will be released in the future. An acceptable certification must provide or attach adequate verifiable evidence to show that the fundraising threshold has been reached and may include verification from ActBlue or NGP VAN regarding the campaign’s fundraising.
from the excluded campaigns...

Bullock for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 29, 2019

Governor Bullock Statement on September Debate

Helena, MT – In response to the September DNC debate announcement, Montana Governor Steve Bullock released the following statement:

“I’m the only one in the field who has won and governed a Trump state. I’m now the only Governor running for the Democratic nomination. And I’m the only candidate who has made actual strides in getting the corrupting influence of money out of our elections," said Montana Governor Steve Bullock. "There are over 150 days before voters express their preference in Iowa and New Hampshire. It’s those voters in early states and across the country who will decide this election.”

Governor Bullock will be in Iowa talking directly with voters during the Houston debate. Further details to be announced.
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Bennet for America
DATE: Wednesday, August 28, 2019
CONTACT: Shannon Beckham

Top Bennet Advisor Presses Perez on Secretive Debate Criteria, Calls for Public Disclosure of Process

DENVER — Bennet for America Advisor Craig Hughes today sent a letter to DNC Chairman Tom Perez requesting that he provide clarity on how the DNC developed its arbitrary debate criteria and certainty on how the process will proceed going forward. To date, the DNC has not provided information on how or why its unprecedented debate qualification requirements were set nor what the criteria will be for the eight future debates. Read the letter here and below.

Hughes also issued the following statement:

“It is not the DNC’s job to winnow the field. It is the job of voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. The Des Moines Register recently stated that ‘Iowa caucusgoers...would be well-served to give Bennet more attention.’ Why does Tom Perez believe he should have a greater say than Iowans? If he wants to narrow the field, he can move to Iowa.

“Despite the DNC’s opaque and arbitrary rules, Bennet for America is moving full steam ahead. The Bennet family will be in Iowa this weekend campaigning across the state and opening a new office. We have budgeted for the long haul and are prepared to run an insurgent campaign. At the end of the day, Michael will win this race the way he always has: by connecting with voters and presenting a compelling and unifying vision for our country.”

At the DNC Summer Meeting on Friday, Bennet said, “The DNC’s process is stifling debate at a time when we need it most. We’re rewarding celebrity candidates with millions of Twitter followers, billionaires who buy their way onto the debate stage, and candidates who have been running for president for years. It forces campaigns to fork over millions of dollars to Facebook — the same platform that let the Russians interfere in 2016 — instead of harnessing the resources to talk to voters. ... If we wanted to be the party that excluded people, we’d be Republicans. These rules have created exactly the wrong outcomes. And they will NOT help us beat Donald Trump.”


August 28, 2019

Mr. Tom Perez
Chairman
Democratic National Committee
430 South Capitol Street SE
Washington, DC 20003

Dear Chairman Perez:

I write today to request answers to the enclosed questions, which will provide clarity for Democratic voters on how the DNC developed its debate criteria and certainty on how the process will proceed going forward.

To date, the DNC has not provided information on how or why its unprecedented debate qualification requirements were set nor what the criteria will be for the eight future debates.

The least we owe the Democratic voters is transparency about why and how decisions are being made on their behalf to ensure a fair process as the primary continues.

Sincerely,

Craig Hughes
Advisor
Bennet for America

Questions

1. Why didn’t you consult DNC membership — which is the governing body of the Democratic Party — or state parties in designing the debate process and criteria?

2. Why hasn’t the DNC informed campaigns of the entry requirements and qualifying deadlines for upcoming debates 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 so each campaign can plan its strategy accordingly and have confidence that the DNC is not moving the bar on behalf of the frontrunners’ campaigns?

3. If the rules have not been finalized for the next set of debates, why hasn’t this happened yet and when do you expect to get around to it?

4. Who at the DNC decided which polls would be sanctioned? What was the specific criteria for allowing certain polls and not others, and why has that not been publicly disclosed? For example, why are polls from reputable polling organizations, such as Suffolk University, Marist College, and Siena College, excluded from the DNC’s approved list?

5. Why were polling organizations that were permissible in Debates 1 and 2 deemed no longer permissible in Debates 3 and 4?

6. With whom did you consult to determine the donor threshold, and what is the significance of that particular number?

7. Was anyone who is now on the staff of a presidential campaign consulted about the debate qualification rules?

8. What campaigns will you consult moving forward, and if not all of them, why not?

9. Why is the DNC in an unprecedented rush to eliminate candidates from a volatile field five months before the first vote is cast?

10. Did the DNC consult with television networks on the debate requirements? Are television networks making decisions to limit candidates from the debate?

11. Why are candidates prohibited from participating in non-DNC forums and debates that would allow the voters the opportunity to hear in-depth discussion given the DNC’s refusal to hold issue-specific debates?
Friends of John Delaney
Thursday, August 29, 2019
CONTACT: Carrie Healey

Delaney: I’m Committed to This Campaign Because Someone Has to Tell the Truth

Delaney message focused on 10 truths that are absent from current debate


FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS, MD – John Delaney releases the following statement:
 
 
“While I'm disappointed to have not qualified for the third debate, I remain committed to the campaign for one simple reason: someone has to be consistently telling the truth and in doing so, telling a better story about the future we can share together.   
 
“What has surprised me most about the primary process is the absence of a real debateon so many of the important issues facing the American people, the avoidance of acknowledging certain truths, and the level of mischaracterization of what is truly happening in the world.  As a result, I'm going to make sure I keep telling these ten truths.
 
Number One:  The best economic outcomes are achieved when the government, the private sector and the nonprofit sector work well together.  Last month we debated the future of our nation in Detroit, a city that has recently seen first-hand the benefits of collaboration.  The same can be true for tackling all of America’s problems, but we have to stop thinking in silos with “government-only” solutions, or “business only” solutions, and we have to start unleashing our full potential by embracing solutions centered on partnerships between business, government and the nonprofit community.  This approach drives innovation and efficiency, it enables investment in people and communities, and it fosters unity, which is the only cure for the true disease affecting our nation – political divisiveness.  In addition, it allows us to start focusing on the many issues that most Americans agree on, but never get done - like reforming immigration, building infrastructure, lowering drug prices, protecting digital privacy and national service.  Collaboration and common purpose equal progress.
 
Number Two: We live in an interconnected and interdependent world.  Addressing job and political disruption because of technology, climate change, migration, and national security requires the United States to engage globally. This means rejecting isolationism, whether it's Trump's perverted form of nationalism or Democrats’ anti-trade policies. For example, U.S. farmers not selling soybeans to China does create an incentive for Brazil to clear cut the Amazon to grow soybeans. The fact that we are not as competitive in Asia as we could be if we were in the TPP does limit the pressure we can apply to China on North Korea while also hurting the U.S. economy.  Default on the debt of Italy or Greece will have an effect on the retirements of union workers in California.  Entering into trade agreements is directly linked to our ability to shape a world that addresses human rights, national security, climate, migration and creates stable financial markets. Anti-trade positions are directly against progressive goals.  Trade agreements also ensure that we compete globally and that markets are open to U.S. companies
 
Number Three: Health care is indeed complicated.  Considering the importance of health care to every American, efforts to reduce health care reform to bumper sticker slogans is disqualifying. Health care is 1/6 of the US economy and consists of thousands of sub-systems of providers, payers and care networks.  Contrary to what many candidates will tell you, very few countries have a single-payer system. Most have mixed models of government and private insurance. It is well documented that the federal government does not currently pay the full cost of care to providers, reimbursing at rates that are too low. It is the mix of private insurance and government insurance that provides sufficient reimbursement for the system to operate. Americans deserve a universal health care system. Every American should have essential government health care coverage, including mental health, for free and the federal government, with smart steps, can figure out how to make that happen. But that should not be done with the elimination of private insurance or we risk a system that is massively underfunded with huge disparities in quality between the rich and everyone else.
 
Number Four: Technology will not displace all the jobs, but it will continue to put pressure on pay. We have a pay problem in the United States more than a jobs problem. People who tell you that technology will displace all the jobs in this country are not being honest. There is no evidence to back up this claim now or at any time in history. What innovation does do is displace jobs from some and create them for others. And recently it has put enormous pressure on pay. People claiming we need Universal Basic Income or guaranteed government jobs are ignoring the facts and putting forth fairytale solutions. What we need to do is raise wages, provide tax credits to workers, build infrastructure, create ways for people to earn a living doing all the jobs that exist in our society that add huge value but for which there is no compensation (like caregiving), improve skills training and generally do things to ensure every American can raise their family with dignity on one job.
 
Number Five:  Education is not delivering for far too many students.   In 2017, 71% of 17-24 year-olds were not eligible to join the U.S. military, U.S. high school students ranked 30th in math and 19th in science out of 35 OECD countries, and 65% of college graduates owed student loan debt. Unless we completely reimagine public education - from early childhood education through community college - we will continue to leave huge parts of our country behind. This involves both more resources and education reform. What is does not involve is free four-year college or writing off all the student debt in the country. That is a wildly inappropriate allocation of resources away from the true needs in education.
 
Number Six: Half of our citizens are suffering economically and falling massively behind.  Huge parts of our country– particularly in rural America - have been drained of opportunities, jobs and core services. This America needs solutions, not ideology.  They need good jobs, a living wage and the ability to support their family on one job.  This struggling America needs us to provide basic solutions such as more affordable housing, an increased earned income and child tax credit, jobs through infrastructure, better public schools, incentives for businesses to invest in their communities, resources to address the addiction crisis and paid family leave. These solutions are big but they are also simple and straightforward. They don’t involve the entire upheaval of the economic model of the United States.  Progress on these issues will require old-fashioned compromise and bipartisanship. That is the only way we make progress on the kitchen table issues facing hard-working Americans. People who argue against a collaborative and bipartisan approach on these issues ignore all of the lessons of history and are basically arguing for maintaining the status quo and against improving these people's lives.
 
Number Seven: Climate change can't be solved on the backs of workers.  We cannot expect hardworking American families, 40% of whom cannot afford their basic necessities, to experience rapid increases in energy prices to address climate.  This is wrong as a matter of policy and it will never happen politically. Any climate solution has to neutral to the worker.  That is why the central plank of my climate platform is a Carbon Fee and Dividend which will create the market incentives to speed the transition to renewables and hasten the move away from fossil fuels, but since 100% of the revenues will be going straight back to the American people as a dividend, we won’t but hurting working families.
 
Number Eight: We will not solve climate change without innovation. Climate is a global issue and there are billions of people entering the global middle class who need energy and countries around the world will fundamentally not deny them energy or food as part of solving climate.  It is therefore incumbent on the United States, as the leading innovation economy in the world, to develop new energy and agricultural technologies - including battery, transmission, negative emission, carbon capture, and nuclear - to create the advanced energy economy that the world needs. If we don't, we will not solve climate change.
 
Number Nine: Our national debt will be a problem. One day interest rates will go up. We don't know when and we don't how. But when they do, interest expense as a percentage of our budget will likely triple, crowding out every priority any American cares about and wiping out the next generation.  People who say this is not a problem are lying. But people who say we need a "balanced budget" are also lying. We need to reduce deficits to around 2% of the economy, less than the long-term rate of economic growth so that the Debt-to-GDP ratio drops over time, and we will be just fine.
 
Number Ten: The world gets better every day and we need to bet on our future. Despite rising inequality, hate and tribalism, the condition of the world gets better every day and the facts back it up.  Every year fewer and fewer people live in poverty. Why? Because of innovation. Which is why for every issue: curing Alzheimer's and cancer, solving climate change, and eliminating poverty and hunger, we need to make massive investments in research and innovation to harness computing power and big data to solve the world’s problems. This is what the United States does best.
 
"The truth matters.”
 
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Tulsi Now
August 23, 2019

Tulsi Gabbard’s Campaign Calls On the DNC to Ensure Transparency in Debate Requirements 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. The campaign of Congresswoman and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is calling on the Democratic National Committee to revise their list of debate qualifying polls in light of numerous irregularities in the selection and timing of those polls, to ensure transparency and fairness. 

The DNC set a threshold that candidates must meet 2% in four DNC-certified polls in order to qualify for the third and fourth Democratic primary debates. However, the DNC has not released their criteria for selecting the 16 polling organizations they deem “certified.” 

Rep. Gabbard has exceeded 2% support in 26 national and early state polls, but only two of them are on the DNC’s “certified” list. Many of the uncertified polls, including those conducted by highly reputable organizations such as The Economist and the Boston Globe, are ranked by Real Clear Politics and FiveThirtyEight as more accurate than some DNC “certified” polls. 

After examining the list of certified and non-certified polls, Michael Tracey wrote in Real Clear Politics, “Tulsi Gabbard is on the verge of being excluded from the next Democratic presidential debate on the basis of criteria that appear increasingly absurd.” 
 
The Democratic National Committee has the responsibility to facilitate more conversations between the future leaders of this country, not less. Notably, there have been only four qualifying polls released after the second Democratic primary debate compared with fourteen qualifying polls released in the month after the first Democratic primary debate. 

Having received 2% in a qualifying CNN poll released Tuesday, August 20th, Gabbard is now two DNC-certified polls away from qualifying for the debates in Houston next month. According to Tracey, “Gabbard has [also] polled at 2% or more in two polls sponsored by the two largest newspapers in two early primary states, but the DNC -- through its mysteriously incoherent selection process -- has determined that these surveys do not count toward her debateeligibility. Without these exclusions, Gabbard would have already qualified.” 

In a 2018 memo laying out their proposed framework for the debates, the DNC wrote, “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.” 

The Gabbard campaign is calling on the DNC to hold true to their promise and make adjustments to the process now to ensure transparency and fairness. Crucial decisions on debate qualifications that impact the right of the American people to have the opportunity to participate fully in the Democratic process should not be made in secret by party bosses. For the sake of democracy, those decisions must be made openly, with clear and consistent standards and a sufficient window of opportunity for candidates to demonstrate genuine grassroots momentum and enthusiasm. 

Additional Background

Timing of polls released after the first and second Democratic primary debates

As the campaigns head into the second half of August, only four of the DNC’s list of sixteen qualifying polling organizations - Monmouth, Fox, Quinnipiac and CNN/SRSS - have released any new polls following the second July 30-31Democratic presidential debate in Detroit. 

In the two weeks after the first Democratic primary debate in Miami, the period between June 28 and July 13, six DNC-certified polls were released. After the second debate in Detroit, when Rep. Gabbard had one of the strongest performances on the stage, only two certified polls were released in the two weeks following her break-out appearance.



No major news source released a national poll in the two week period following the second debate, compared to five polls released by seven major news organizations after the first debate. For example, CNN released DNC-certified polls on a regular monthly basis since March until after the Detroit debate(which CNN co-hosted) when they inexplicably stopped releasing polls.

Following the first debate in Miami, 14 of the DNC’s qualified polling organizations released numbers, and four of these organizations released multiple polls. This contrasts starkly with the almost dormant activity of these same polling organizations following the second debate. 

The delayed release of polls so long after the debates is particularly harmful to candidates with lower name-recognition. Delayed poll releases are an advantage for high-name recognition candidates such as Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris.

DNC’s polling criteria is unknown; disadvantages Rep. Gabbard

In addition, the campaign is concerned that the DNC has not made their criteria for poll selection known and, in some cases, the DNC is relying on inferior, less accurate polls. 

As of Aug 20th, Rep. Gabbard has qualified for two DNC-certified polls, but she has exceeded 2% support in 24 uncertified non-qualifying polls since June 28 (as reported by Real Clear Politics and FiveThirtyEight). 

Rep. Gabbard’s qualifying/non-qualifying polls above 2% since June 28th

DNC-Qualifying Polls Over 2% Since June 28th

  1. New Hampshire (CBS/YouGov) 2% (July 2019)
  2. National (CNN/SSRS) 2% (July 2019)

Non Qualifying Polls 2% and Over Since June 28th (national and early states only) (Currently 24)

  1. National (Harvard/Harris) 2% (July 2019)
  2. National (Emerson) 2% (July 2019)
  3. National (Economist/YouGov) 2% (July 2019)
  4. New Hampshire (Change Research/PollerCoaster) 2% (July 2019)
  5. South Carolina (Change Research/PollerCoaster) 2% (July 2019)
  6. New Hampshire (603/Change Research) 3% (July 2019)
  7. National (ABC News/Washington Post) (July 2019) (*qualifying poll but “non-qualifying” question. received 2% in open-ended question)
  8. National (The Economist/YouGov) 2% (July 24th 2019)
  9. National (YouGov/PerryUdem) 2% (July 29th)
  10. National (ChangeResearch) 2% (July 29th 2019)
  11. National (Echelon Insights) 2% (July 29th 2019)
  12. National (The Economist/YouGov) 2% (July 31st 2019)
  13. National (HarrisX) 3% (August 2nd 2019)
  14. National (HarrisX) 2% (July 30th 2019)
  15. National (HarrisX) 2% (July 31st 2019)
  16. New Hampshire (Suffolk University/Boston Globe) 3% (August 6th 2019)
  17. National (The Economist/YouGov) 3% (August 7th 2019)
  18. National (ChangeResearch) 2% (August 8th 2019)
  19. New Hampshire (Gravis Marketing) 5% (August 13th 2019)
  20. National (YouGov/The Economist) 2% (August 14th 2019)
  21. Iowa (ChangeResearch) 2% (August 15th, 2019)
  22. South Carolina (ChangeResearch) 2% (August 15, 2019)
  23. Nevada (Gravis Marketing) 2% (August 20th 2019)
  24. National (The Economist/YouGov) 2% (August 21st 2019)

While conventional wisdom might assume DNC-certified polls are more accurate than non-qualifying polls, this is not always true. Many non-qualifying polls are more accurate than the DNC’s preferred polls (Sources: American Research Group and FiveThirtyEight).

For example, Rep. Gabbard had 3% support Suffolk and Emerson polls (both rated B+). These polls are not approved by the DNC, but received higher accuracy ratings on FiveThirtyEight than some other DNC-approved polls, such as NPR (rated B-). In addition, Rep. Gabbard met the 2% threshold in the Politico/Morning Consult poll, which is non-qualifying and is rated the same as the DNC-“certified” NPR poll. The DNC also “certifies” a poll taken by SurveyMonkey, which received a “D-” accuracy rating, just because the pollster was commissioned by NBC, which is a DNC-approved sponsor.

We are calling on the DNC to certify the Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll and the Economist/YouGov polls, which show that Congresswoman Gabbard increased her support to 3%, as well as the Post and Courier poll, conducted by the highest-circulation newspaper in South Carolina. There is no justifiable reason for the DNC to exclude these polls, or polls from other credible organizations.  

Journalists with questions should reach out to press@tulsi2020.com and cullen@tulsi2020.com. 
 
Additional background and commentary from Michael Tracey


Tulsi Gabbard is on the verge of being excluded from the next Democratic presidential debate on the basis of criteria that appear increasingly absurd.

1. Take, for instance, her poll standing in New Hampshire, which currently places Gabbard at 3.3% support, according to the RealClearPolitics average as of Aug. 20. One might suspect that such a figure would merit inclusion in the upcoming debates -- especially considering she’s ahead of several candidates who have already been granted entry, including Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, and Andrew Yang.

2. But a poll sponsored by the newspaper with the largest circulation in New Hampshire (the Globe recently surpassed the New Hampshire Union Leader there) does not count, per this cockamamie criteria.

3. A South Carolina poll published Aug. 14 by the Post and Courier placed Gabbard at 2%. One might have again vainly assumed that the newspaper with the largest circulation in a critical early primary state would be an “approved” sponsor per the dictates of the DNC, but it is not. Curious.

4. But Gabbard has polled at 2% or more in six additional YouGov polls -- except those polls are sponsored by The Economist, not CBS. Needless to say, The Economist is not a “sponsoring organization,” per the whims of the DNC. It may be one of the most vaunted news organizations in the world, and YouGov may be a “qualified” polling firm in other contexts, but the DNC has chosen to exclude The Economist’s results for reasons that appear less and less defensible.

Tim Ryan for President
August 28, 2019

Ryan Campaign Statement on DNC Debate Threshold

Youngstown, OH – Michael Morley, Senior Campaign Advisor to Tim Ryan for America, issued the following statement in regards to the DNC's release of candidates moving forward to the third debate:
 
"After participating in two DNC debates with the opportunity to speak for roughly 19 minutes, our campaign realizes that there are more constructive ways for us to connect to voters than a mad dash to spend $50 to get a $1 contribution.  While these national platforms are helpful, our campaign is focused on the old school tactics like taking our message directly to the voters and caucus-goers in the communities of the early states. We have growing enthusiasm for Tim's platform of being a strong advocate for the working class and bridging the opportunity and racial divides in our country. These meaningful conversations are paying off with significant endorsements in New Hampshire and South Carolina.  We will continue to build momentum by having these real discussions with the American people directly.” 
 
Find out more about Tim at TimRyanForAmerica.com.
Tom Steyer 2020
August 28, 2019

Steyer Campaign Statement on DNC September Debate

(SAN FRANCISCO, August 28, 2019) — Today, Tom Steyer 2020 Campaign Manager Heather Hargreaves released the following statement on the DNC’s September debate:

“In just over seven weeks our campaign has made strong, sustained gains in the early primary states that will be pivotal in selecting our nominee, surging to 5th place in this week’s Morning Consult poll. It is clear from public polling that Tom would have easily met the 2% threshold and been on the debate stage if there had been any qualified early state polling in the last few weeks.

"While we believe that voters in these states deserve to see Tom on the debate stage in Houston, we understand the rules established by the DNC and respect the process. We are confident that, over the next month, voters in the early states will be heard and that the rest of the country will get to learn more about Tom’s plan to end the corporate corruption of politics and restore our democracy to the American people.

"We do hope that the Democratic National Committee expands their polling criteria in the future to include more early state qualifying polling. In particular, voters in Nevada deserve to have a voice in who will be on the debate stage. A recent Gravis poll had Tom at 6% in the state, but unfortunately there were no qualifying polls during this entire period in Nevada.”

In just the last two weeks, Steyer has surpassed the required 2% threshold in multiple polls in early primary states. Steyer has polled at 7% in Morning Consult’s early states poll and 6% in Gravis’ Nevada poll. He was able to reach the 130,000 donor threshold within five weeks of launching his campaign.
Marianne Williamson for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2019
Patricia Ewing
Communications Director

DNC Uses Only 10 Polls, Not the Promised 17 to Determine Debate Qualification

The Democratic National Committee announced in February a formal process for presidential candidates to qualify for 12 official debates.

Part of that process by the DNC was designating the published work of 17 pollsters as “official.”1 No other polls could be used to qualify for the debates.

For the first two debates, candidates had to get 1% in three polls and for the second two, candidates have to reach 2% in four polls.

It was implied that these pollsters would field polls with some regularity, to offer campaigns maximum opportunities to qualify.

That did not happen.

According to initial research on FiveThirtyEight.com, only 10 of the 17 pollsters designated by the DNC have released presidential poll results since the criteria were announced in February 2019.2

There was an expectation that the chosen pollsters would participate and poll during this time period. Therefore, the DNC should have monitored the process to ensure that all the polls they designated were fielded and released in a timely manner. When it became clear that 7 designated pollsters were not fielding polls at all, the DNC should have reached out to the campaigns and potentially substituted new polls from different media or academic sources. Another example of untimely poll scheduling is that only 5 polls were completed and made public since the second debate on July 30 and 31st.

The Williamson campaign met all the requirements for the first and second debates, reaching the threshold of 65,000 unique contributors and three official polls at 1%. For the third and fourth, the campaign met the donor requirement of 130,000 unique donors.

Williamson has achieved 2% in 4 polls, which should be enough to get her into the 3rd debate. However, only one is designated by the DNC as official. Those polls that she achieved 2% are: The Hill by the HarrisX polling firm (Hill/HarrisX), Monmouth University Poll, NBCNewsMississippiPoll and Saint Anslem University Poll.

“If the DNC had followed the process they announced in February and kept to the promised 17 qualifying polls, the lineup of the upcoming third debate might be very different,” said Patricia Ewing, Communications Director.
  ___________________
 
  1. List of Approved Pollsters: 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, The Washington Post, Winthrop University.
  2. Of the 17, only 10 have polled: ABC News, CNN, Des Moines Register, Fox News, Monmouth University, NBC News, Quinnipiac University, University of New Hampshire. Here are the 7 that have not: Winthrop University, USA Today, New York Times, National Public Radio, Las Vegas Review-Journal, CBS News and the Associated Press.
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Tom Steyer 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, August 23, 2019

Steyer Campaign Statement on DNC Polling Criteria for September Debate

(SAN FRANCISCO, August 23, 2019) — Today, Tom Steyer 2020 Campaign Manager Heather Hargreaves released the following statement on the DNC polling criteria, calling for a more transparent process that includes the acceptance of more credible state polls: 

“The polling is clear. In just over six weeks, Tom’s message of breaking the corporate stranglehold in Washington is resonating in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. The American people deserve to hear this message in September, but are being denied by the lack of recent qualifying polls. Today, we are calling on the DNC to expand their polling criteria to include more qualifying polling, including at least one poll in Nevada before the deadline next week. As a party, we want to ensure the will of the voters is respected.”

In just the last week alone, Steyer has surpassed the required 2% threshold in multiple polls in early primary states. Steyer has polled at 7% in Morning Consult’s early states poll and 6% in Gravis’ Nevada poll, but neither of these polls are DNC-sanctioned despite coming from credible polling organizations with long track records.
Bullock for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Governor Bullock: DNC Rules Allow Billionaires to Buy Spot on Debate Stage

Helena, MT – Following the Steyer campaign’s announcement that he has nearly qualified for the September DNC Debates after after spending $10 million in the span of a month, Montana Governor Steve Bullock released the following statement:

“The DNC donor requirement may have been added with the right intentions, but there’s no doubt that it’s created a situation in which billionaires can buy their way onto the debate stage, and campaigns are forced to spend millions on digital ads chasing one dollar donors — not talking directly to voters. We’re kidding ourselves if we’re calling a $10 million purchase of 130,000 donors a demonstration of grassroots support.” Montana Governor Steve Bullock said. “It’s not serving the candidates, and it sure isn’t helping the voters who will actually decide this election.”
 
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