Yang Becomes Seventh 2020 Candidate to Qualify for NH Debate

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang gives high-fives to campaign volunteers following a town hall meeting at Penn Central Mall in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on Jan. 25, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Andrew Yang has qualified for the Feb. 7 Democratic primary debate in New Hampshire, joining six other presidential candidates to qualify for the event.

Yang, 45, hit polling thresholds in recent surveys, earning at least 5 percent in four polls.

“Just qualified for the February debate in New Hampshire! Thank you to everyone working hard to make it happen. Let’s make history,” the former tech executive said in a statement.

The Democratic National Committee sets thresholds for candidates to qualify for the debates. It has been steadily raising the criteria, which fall under two categories: polling and donations.

To qualify for the New Hampshire debate, candidates needed to hit at least 5 percent in four or more qualifying national or early state polls released between Dec. 13, 2019, and Feb. 6; or at least 7 percent in two early state polls during that same time period.

Candidates also must receive donations from at least 225,000 unique donors and a minimum of 1,000 unique donors per state in at least 20 states.

The other six qualifiers are former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), billionaire progressive activist and philanthropist Tom Steyer, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Democratic presidential hopefuls Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (L), former Vice President Joe Biden (C) and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders participate in the seventh Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign on Jan. 24, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

(L–R): Tom Steyer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg listen as Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) speaks during the Democratic presidential primary debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 14, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Candidates have until 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 6 to meet the thresholds.

The debate is one of four in early voting states. Candidates clashed in Iowa earlier this month ahead of the Feb. 3 caucuses there; Yang didn’t qualify for that debate.

After the New Hampshire debate, candidates will meet in Nevada on Feb. 19 and in South Carolina on Feb. 25.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has hit the polling criteria for the next debate but hasn’t met the donor threshold and isn’t expected to, since the billionaire is largely funding his own campaign. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) has several qualifying polls, but has fewer than 225,000 donors.

The other candidates are: Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.), and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

The field of Democratic presidential hopefuls is slowly shrinking. The latest candidates to drop out were Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), author Marianne Williamson, and former Housing Secretary Julian Castro.