The seven DNC candidates highlighted in green below will take the stage in South Carolina on Tuesday, February 25, for the tenth DNC debate. The number of participants has increased since the last one, with billionaire Tom Steyer qualifying this time around. The day before the Monday deadline, Steyer hit 18 percent in a CBS News/YouGov poll for South Carolina.
It will be the second debate for Michael Bloomberg, who got eviscerated by fellow DNC candidates in the Las Vegas debate. The former New York City mayor took direct hits from Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. "I’d like to talk about who we’re running against – a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians,“ Warren said. "And no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. I’m talking about Michael Bloomberg.“
In order to qualify for the February 25 debate, candidates can meet one of the two polling requirements. They need two polls at 12 percent or more in South Carolina. It's the nominating state after Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. If they do not meet that requirement, they can have four polls at 10 percent or more in national surveys or in the same early nominating states. The only polls that counted were the ones released between February 4 and February 24.
Alternatively, candidates who received at least one pledged delegate in the Iowa caucus or the New Hampshire primary are also eligible to participate no matter what their polling numbers were. Amy Klobuchar was the only candidate who qualified only by her delegate count, while Bloomberg and Steyer were the only contestants who qualified only through polling. The DNC has eliminated fundraising criteria - a move that was criticized by some to be tailor-made for Bloomberg, who doesn't accept donations and funds his own campaign.
There are still eight candidates for the Democratic party nomination. Tulsi Gabbard has not ended her campaign despite failing to qualify.
