Swalwell on ‘bubble’ to qualify for Dem debates
WASHINGTON — Wednesday is deadline day for Democratic presidential candidates hoping to make the first debate stage — and some are going to be disappointed.
The Democratic National Committee has capped the first debate at 20 candidates, and set a polling and donor threshold to make the stage. Twenty hopefuls have already qualified, including California Sen. Kamala Harris and Dublin Rep. Eric Swalwell, according to multiple news outlets tracking the field.
But if any more candidates make one of the thresholds by Wednesday, there could be a tiebreaker, and that could put Swalwell at risk.
The DNC set two ways to qualify: polling at or above 1% in three qualified surveys, or receiving donations from 65,000 individual donors in 20 states, including at least 200 from each state. Hitting either threshold qualifies candidates for the first televised debate, which will be held over two nights, June 26 and 27.
Fourteen candidates have hit both marks, with New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand reaching the donor threshold over the weekend after hitting the polling goal, according to news outlets.
The 13 others who have reached both goals are Harris, former Vice President Joe Biden, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, author Marianne Williamson and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
The remaining six who have made the stage have qualified under just one threshold: polling. They include Swalwell, as well as Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock is on the cusp of qualifying based on polls, with Wednesday being the final day surveys can be released and used to qualify.
If Bullock were to make the polling threshold, it could create a three-way tie with Swalwell and de Blasio, according to Politico’s tally. It is not clear how the DNC would break that tie. Other remaining candidates are unlikely to overcome their deficits in time.
A Swalwell campaign official said the team is “confident, but never complacent” about their odds. After this story was posted online with the headline, “Eric Swalwell on the bubble?” the congressman texted, “On the bubble(s),” with a GIF of an excited toddler reacting to bubbles falling through the air.
The Democratic committee will hold a lottery to determine which 10 candidates will debate on the first night and which 10 will go the following evening. That lottery will be held Friday.