Andrew Yang Qualifies For The February Democratic Debate

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Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:12 pm

After missing the last debate, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang became the seventh candidate to qualify for the February New Hampshire debate.

Axios reported:
Andrew Yang on Jan. 26 became the seventh Democrat to qualify for the February debate after polling above 5% in UNH/CNN’s New Hampshire survey, his fourth qualifying poll.

– The Democratic National Committee added a new method for contenders to qualify for its February debate, allowing any candidate who wins at least one pledged delegate to the DNC from the Iowa caucuses to participate without meeting polling and donor thresholds.

– Candidates may also qualify by having at least 5% in four qualifying polls or 7% in New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina polls — as well as 225,000 unique donors.

– Qualifying polls must be released between Dec. 13 through Feb. 6.

The candidates for the February debate include Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Tom Steyer, Amy Klobuchar, and Andrew Yang.

Yang was sorely missed at the January debate. He adds both personality and a unique non-billionaire outsider’s perspective to the debates. Yang isn’t a top tier candidate, but his qualification for February is a reflection of his growing support.

It is also important that with actual voting taking place soon, the qualification criteria for the debates shifts from the public opinion polls in the early primary states. The early state polls have been sporadic and all over the map. There are red flags all over them from an analysis point of view that scream not to be taken seriously.

Iowa is up for grabs. Any of the top four candidates could win it. There is not enough consistent polling of New Hampshire, but Bernie Sanders is expected to and should do well there.

There is opening for a Klobuchar or a Yang type candidate to jump up and do well in Iowa. After New Hampshire, the herd of candidates should thin. Time is short, which is why Andrew Yang’s return to the debate stage is all the more impressive.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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