Lead up to Fourth Presidential Primary Debate



PRESS RELEASES

CNN
October 2, 2019
By Mark Preston, CNN

Podium order announced for the CNN/New York Times Democratic presidential debate 

Former Vice President Joe Biden will stand center stage, flanked by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on his right and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to his left, for the next presidential debate, which will also feature a new face and a returning candidate among the dozen Democrats onstage vying for their party's nomination.
 
The CNN/New York Times Democratic debate lineup
Gabbard | Steyer | Booker | Harris | Sanders | Biden | Warren | Buttigieg | Yang | O'Rourke | Klobuchar | Castro

The stakes are incredibly high for the candidates participating in the CNN/New York Times Democratic presidential debate on October 15, as several candidates will likely need a breakout performance to remain competitive in this crowded primary field. For businessman Tom Steyer, it will be his first presidential debate, while Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard returns to the stage after failing to qualify for the September debate.
 
In all, 12 Democratic hopefuls will appear on the same stage for the debate: Biden, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, Gabbard, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Sanders, Steyer, Warren and businessman Andrew Yang.
 
The Democratic National Committee's fourth sanctioned primary debate will air live at 8 p.m. ET from Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, a northeast suburb of the state capital, Columbus. CNN anchors Erin Burnett and Anderson Cooper and New York Times national editor Marc Lacey will serve as the debate moderators.
 
The 12 campaigns were required to submit paperwork to the DNC Wednesday morning certifying that their respective candidate achieved the fundraising and polling thresholds required to participate in the October debate. To receive an invitation to this debate, candidates needed to attain at least 2% in four separate DNC-approved polls and receive contributions from at least 130,000 unique donors, including at least 400 donors from 20 different states.
 
For the November debate, the polling and contribution thresholds will be raised to require candidates to achieve 3% in four DNC-approved polls, and the number of unique donors needed increases to 165,000 people. The November criteria is likely to shrink the number of candidates eligible to participate in DNC-sanctioned debates after October -- placing Democrats who fail to reach the new thresholds in political jeopardy.
 
The podium order for the CNN/New York Times Democratic presidential debate was determined based on an average of the 10 most recently released qualifying polls. Candidates with the highest averages were placed in the center of the stage with those with lower polling averages assigned podium positions to the left and right.
 
The October 15 debate will air exclusively on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español, and stream on CNN.com's homepage and NYTimes.com's homepage. In addition, the debate will be available across mobile devices via CNN's and New York Times' apps for iOS and Android, via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Android TV, SiriusXM Channels 116, 454, 795, the Westwood One Radio Network, Alexa Amazon, National Public Radio and stream on Facebook.

Democratic National Committee
October 2, 2019

DNC, CNN, And The New York Times Announce Candidates Participating In Fourth Democratic Presidential Primary Debate

Today, the DNC, CNN, and The New York Times announced that 12 candidates have been invited to participate in the fourth Democratic presidential primary debate. Each candidate was invited based on qualification criteria agreed to by the DNC, CNN, and The New York Times that were announced in May 2019.
 
The debate will stream live in its entirety, without requiring log-in to a cable provider, exclusively to CNN.com’s and NYTimes.com’s homepage, across mobile devices via CNN’s and The New York Times’s apps for iOS and Android, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Android TV. The full debate will be available exclusively the day following the airing on demand via cable/satellite systems, on CNNgo (at CNN.com/go on your desktop, smartphone, and tablets, and via CNNgo OTT apps), and CNN mobile apps on iOS and Android. In addition to streaming live on Facebook, audio of the debate will also air on the Westwood One Radio Network, SiriusXM, Amazon Alexa and National Public Radio. Our broadcast partners are fully committed to providing accessible communications for deaf and disabled audiences as well.

The DNC, CNN, and The New York Times previously announced that the fourth debate will take place on October 15 at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.

Based on the qualification criteria agreed to by the DNC, CNN, and The New York Times and announced in May 2019, the following candidates have been invited to participate in the fourth primary debate:

Vice President Joe Biden

Sen. Cory Booker

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Sec. Julian Castro

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
 
Sen. Kamala Harris

Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Rep. Beto O’Rourke

Sen. Bernie Sanders

Mr. Tom Steyer
 
Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Mr. Andrew Yang
Democratic National Committee
September 13, 2019

DNC Announces Details For Fourth Presidential Primary Debate

CNN, The New York Times to host fourth debate at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio
 
Today, the DNC announced that CNN and The New York Times, will co-host the fourth debate at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. The debate will occur on October 15, and potentially October 16, if needed.
 
CNN and the New York Times also announced today that the debate will be moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett, and by Marc Lacey of the New York Times. Format will be announced at a future date. 
 
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 live on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español, and stream on CNN.com's homepage and NYTimes.com’s homepage. In addition, the debate will be available across mobile devices via CNN's and The New York Times’s apps for iOS and Android, via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Android TV, SiriusXM Channels 116, 454, 795, the Westwood One Radio Network and National Public Radio. Our broadcast partners are fully committed to providing accessible communications for deaf and disabled audiences as well. 
 
To qualify for the October debate, 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.
    • Each poll must be publicly released between June 28, 2019, and October 1, 2019. 
    • 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.
  1. 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. Qualifying donations must be received by 11:59 P.M. on October 1, 2019. 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.

Bullock for President
September 9, 2019

Governor Bullock on DNC Debate Rules: This Process Won’t Help Us Beat Donald Trump

Helena, MT – Following billionaire Tom Steyer’s qualification for the DNC debates in October after spending $12 million on advertising in his first six weeks, Montana Governor Steve Bullock released the following statement:

“At this point, there isn’t much left to be said regarding a set of rules that have allowed a billionaire to bankroll his way onto the debate stage, while Governors and Senators with decades of public service experience have been forced out of the race,” said Montana Governor Steve Bullock.“This process is failing Democrats and does nothing to help us beat Donald Trump next November. People deserve a democratic process that elevates candidates based on the strength of their experience and ideas — not the size of their bank accounts. At the end of the day, this race is going to be decided by voters on the ground and not party leaders in Washington. I will continue taking my case directly to the voters as we fight for a fair shot for every American.”
 
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Tom Steyer 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Tom Steyer Qualifies for October Debate

In only two months after entering the race for the Democratic presidential nomination,Steyer has met both donor and polling requirements for the DNC October debate in Ohio

(SAN FRANCISCO, September 8, 2019) — Today, presidential candidate Tom Steyerofficially qualified for the Democratic National Committee debate in October by gaining his fourth qualifying poll. The CBS News / YouGov released this morning shows 2% support for him in Nevada. 

“It’s now more clear than ever that Tom’s message is resonating with Americans across the country— that it is time to break the corporate stranglehold on Washington and bring democracy back to the American people,” Campaign Manager Heather Hargreaves said. “We are thrilled that Tom will be able to share his vision— of how together we can fix our broken political system— with the American public.”

Steyer announced his campaign on July 9, two months ago, and hit the 130,000 donor requirement on Tuesday, August 13. The weekly Morning Consult poll has consistently showed him at 6% in early primary states.

The DNC October debate will take place on October 15 and 16 in Ohio.