Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, and Andrew Yang have all reportedly qualified for the first Democratic presidential primary debate this past week.

 

With 16 notable Democratic candidates running so far, what does it take to reach the debate stage?

 

The Democratic National Committee announced last month that a candidate can qualify for the first debate in June by either polling performance or grassroots fundraising.

 

Under the first option, the candidate must receive 1 percent support or more in three national or early state polls from a select list of organizations and institutions.

 

Under the second option, candidates must receive donations from at least 65,000 unique donors. Additionally, they must have a minimum of 200 unique donors per state in at least 20 states.

 

Some candidates have been openly sharing their progress. Marianne Williamson, who is halfway to qualifying, called on her supporters to ask their friends to donate, writing, “You yourself giving me another dollar would not help in this process, but if you make a personal commitment to asking at least one other person to contribute at least one dollar, that will get us over the finish line.”

 

John Delaney has agreed to donate $2 to charity for every new donor that contributes at least $1 to his campaign.

 

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