Andrew Yang Just Qualified for the Fall 2020 Democratic Debates
By Carl Samson
July 30, 2019
Andrew Yang has qualified for the third and fourth Democratic primary debates scheduled for this fall.
The White House hopeful broke the news in a tweet on Monday, announcing that he is the 8th candidate to clinch a spot in the coveted events.
The 44-year-old entrepreneur joins former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Kamala Harris(D-CA), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), former Rep. Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke (D-TX) and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D).
“We did it #YangGang! As of today, we are officially the 8th candidate to qualify for the fall debates,” Yang wrote. “We are in this for the long haul. Thank you all for your support.”
To qualify for the third and fourth debates — which will take place in September and October, respectively — candidates must receive at least 2% in four qualifying polls and have 130,000 unique donors, including a minimum of 400 per state in at least 20 states.
Yang, who met the donor requirement in June, reached the polling threshold on Monday, effectively securing his place in the upcoming debates.
Known for his “not right, not left, but forward” message, Yang drives his campaign with three major policies, namely freedom dividend, Medicare-for-all and human-centered capitalism.
Under freedom dividend, a promise of $1,000 a month for every adult distinguished his platform from the crowded Democratic field, the current frontrunners of which are Biden, Harris and Warren, according to CNN.
Yang’s announcement was met with jubilation from his growing number of supporters — affectionately known as the Yang Gang — who have been clamoring to see him have more airtime.
Back in the first debate, the Venture for America founder had a mere two minutes and 50 seconds of speaking time, partly due to a mysterious microphone issue.
Yang will participate in the second debate today and tomorrow, which will be held at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.
The third debate will take place at Texas Southern University, a historically Black institution, on Sept. 12 and 13.
Featured Image via Instagram / @andrewyang2020
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