Ed. Note: The rules for the Sept. and Oct. debates, announced by the Democratic National Committee on May 29, 2019, will cause a sharp narrowing of the number of candidates on the stage.  The polling and grassroots fundraising threshholds have both been doubled, and candidates must now meet both criteria. These rules have raised questions and criticism.
See: Nidhi Prakash and Ruby Cramer.  "The New Presidential Debate Rules Immediately Have Some Democrats Frustrated With The DNC."  Buzzfeed, May 29, 2019.
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.
Thursday, May 30, 2019
CONTACT: Carrie Healey

Delaney Writes to DNC Chair on New Debate Rules

FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS, MD – Yesterday, presidential candidate John Delaney wrote to DNC Chairman Tom Perez regarding new debate qualification standards. In the letter, Delaney urged Chairman Perez to disclose the process through which the new debate qualification standards were set. The full letter is copied below.


Dear Chairman Perez,
 
Let me start by thanking you for your longstanding commitment to the Democratic Party and the values we stand for. I deeply admire your service to our nation.
 
In the last 24 hours, the DNC announced qualifying criteria for the fall debates (the “Criteria”).  While I have personal views as to the merits of the Criteria, this letter is not about my personal views.  
 
I write to encourage complete transparency as to how the Criteria were determined. The Criteria are incredibly important in determining our nominee and we can all agree that putting forth the best nominee in 2020 is mission critical for the Democratic party, particularly considering the risk to our democracy and the American people posed by a potential second Trump term. In that regard, I formally request the following:
  1. Please disclose the process you engaged in to determine the Criteria;
  2. Please disclose which individuals were involved in making the determination of the Criteria and if the determination was made by one individual or a group of individuals and if the process was unanimous or by a majority;
  3. Please disclose what advisers, if any, you consulted with in determining the Criteria;
  4. Please disclose if you spoke to any presidential candidates or their staff about the Criteria, or any early formulations of the Criteria, and if so which candidates; 
  5. Are you prioritizing certain candidates – or attributes of certain candidates - in formulation of the Criteria; and
  6. Please disclose your rationale as to why the number of donors is a better standard than polling or other standards.
 
Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. We can all agree that the American people deserve a full and inclusive debate. We can also all agree that democracy is best served with full transparency.
 
With respect and appreciation,
 
John Delaney