65,000 unique donors

Gillibrand locks up June debate spot

The New York senator announced that she got 65,000 unique donors.

By ZACH MONTELLARO

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) campaign announced she has received donations from 65,000 supporters, practically securing a spot on the first Democratic presidential primary debate stage at the end of June.

“Over the weekend, we crossed 65,000 donors to our campaign—guaranteeing our spot at the first debates,” Gillibrand tweeted Monday afternoon. “I'm so grateful to everyone who's helping power this campaign. We have a lot more work to do in the months to come, but for now: Thank you.”

Candidates can qualify for the first Democratic debates this month by either getting 1 percent in three polls approved by the Democratic National Committee or getting 65,000 donors (with 200 donors in 20 different states).

Gillibrand had long ago crossed the polling threshold to qualify for the first debate. But hitting the donor threshold shores up her spot on the debate stage, because candidates who have crossed both thresholds take priority over candidates who only crossed one. The Gillibrand campaign confirmed to POLITICO that she has also received 200 donors in 20 states.

She joins 13 other candidates who have “double qualified” for the debate stage, according to a POLITICO analysis: Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson and Andrew Yang.

In addition, six other candidates have qualified through polling alone so far, according to the POLITICO analysis: Michael Bennet, Bill de Blasio, John Delaney, John Hickenlooper, Tim Ryan and Eric Swalwell.

A maximum of 20 candidates can qualify for the first round of Democratic debates, which will be hosted by NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo in Miami on June 26 and June 27. Candidates have until Wednesday to qualify for the first round.

The lineup for the debates is expected to be announced on Friday. Qualifying candidates will be split into two groups — candidates polling at or above two percent and candidates polling below that mark — both of which will be randomly and evenly divided among the two nights.

The second round of debates, which will be hosted by CNN in July, use the same set of qualifications as the first round. It isn’t yet clear if crossing both thresholds will guarantee a debate spot in July, as those candidates who have only hit one will have an additional month to cross both.

If more than 20 candidates ultimately qualify for either round, it will trigger a series of tiebreakers, which first prioritize double-qualifying candidates and then includes those who only hit the polling mark (sorted by the highest polling average), followed by those who only hit the donor mark. It is now impossible for candidates to qualify for the first debates via the donor-only pathway, because 20 candidates have already hit the polling mark.

But Gillibrand still has work to do for later debates. The third and fourth round of debates, which will be held in the fall, have a higher threshold to qualify: Candidates must hit 2 percent in four approved polls, and receive donations from 130,000 donors, with 400 donors in 20 states.

Gillibrand — and other candidates toward the back of the pack — have been critical of the debate rules set by the DNC, and of the step-up for the fall debates.