There are 19 candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring to run for President next year. The Democratic National Committee thinks a dozen of them will be on the stage at the next debate in Westerville.
Debate organizers expect 12 candidates will be at the October 15 debate. While the DNC had blocked off two nights, it says only one will be needed because no other candidate is close to qualifying by the October 1 deadline.
To qualify for this debate, candidates must get at least 2% in four DNC approved polls and have at least 130,000 unique donors, including 400 donors per state from at least 20 states. And the bar gets higher to reach in future debates.
The October 15 debate at Otterbein University features the frontrunners - former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Other candidates include New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, businessman Tom Steyer and businessman Andrew Yang. Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan (D, Boardman) has not qualified for the debate though his campaign continues.
