The next Democratic debate is scheduled for Jan. 14 in Iowa, though Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez may reschedule it if it conflicts with the yet-to-be-scheduled Senate impeachment trial.
Six candidates have qualified to take the stage:
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota)
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont)
- Billionaire Tom Steyer
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts)
Steyer’s appearance was rather unexpected as hesurged in two early state polls on Thursday, bumping him over the qualification threshold.
The DNC requires candidates to poll at or above 5% in at least four approved polls or receive at least 7% in two early state polls. Candidates must also have at least 225,000 unique donors — with 1,000+ donors per state in at least 20 states.
Steyer had previously announced reaching the donation requirement, but qualified by polling above 7% in Nevada and South Carolina. The Fox polls were released just one day ahead of the qualification deadline.
Notably, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) failed to qualify for the debate. While both said they hit the donor requirement, neither reached the necessary 5% in four polls.
The debate will take place at 9 p.m. EST at Drake University in Des Moines and will air on CNN.
