Update…There are now 10 that will be on stage….
There maybe a few more that inch in…
But the number IS gonna drop drastically…..
Good….
With the primaries and caucus’s less than 6 months away?
Things need to get down to something manageable….
Seven candidates have already met both qualification thresholds and are guaranteed a spot on stage. They are:
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Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
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Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey
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Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind.
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Senator Kamala Harris of California
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Former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas
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Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont
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Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Three other candidates are very close: The former housing secretary Julián Castro and the entrepreneur Andrew Yang have surpassed 130,000 donations and each have three of the four qualifying polls they need, while Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota has met the polling threshold and has about 120,000 donors.
Beyond them, only three candidates have even a single qualifying poll to their name: the impeachment activist Tom Steyer (2 polls), Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii (1) and former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado (1)….
image…Chicago Tribune
If my memory and logic serve, that would mean you’ve seen the last debate appearance by these 9 also-rans: (While they will likely no longer figure in the presidential race, several of them still hold important jobs, like Mayor of New York City or U,S. Senator.)
Two Empire Staters; Mayor Bill de Blasio & Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Two Western governors: Steve Bullock (Mont.) & Jay Inslee (Wash.)
Another Westerner: Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo)
Three backbench Congressmen: Tim Ryan (Ohio), John Delaney (Md) & Eric Swalwell (Calif.)
One private citizen: Marianne Williamson
[Then there are those, like Seth Moulton (Mass.) and Mike Gravel (Alaska) who never made it on stage and have nearly or completely left the race.]
If you wonder how this total of 22 (7+3+3+9) when you saw only 20 podia (or 10 podia used twice in succession),
only 19 candidates participated in both sets of debates
1 (Eric Swallwell) participated in only the first set
1 (Steve Bullock) participated in only the second set, and
1 (Tom Steyer) participated in neither set
As usual….
Thanks DSD!