Self-help author Marianne Williamson and former tech executive Andrew Yang have met the benchmarks to get on the next Democratic debate stage.
The two lesser-known candidates are among 14 contenders who have secured spots at the July 30 and 31 debates in Detroit, which will feature 10 candidates each night, according to a New York Times analysis.
Party rules state that to qualify, candidates must have at least 65,000 campaign donors and reach at least 1% support in three recognized polls. The crowded field of 24 candidates has prompted some party insiders to call on the lower-tier candidates to drop out.
Yang and Williamson have struggled to get attention, with Yang claiming that his microphone wasn’t even on at times in last month’s debate. Williamson complained Wednesday that she was deliberately excluded from a Vogue magazine photo essay on 2020 female Democratic candidates.
The other candidates certain of a debate spot are Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California, and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, former Vice President Joe Biden, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Peter Buttigieg, and former Housing Secretary Julian Castro.
