Andrew Yang Qualifies for September Democratic Debate Thanks to the Yang Gang
By Ryan General
Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang has now qualified for the next round of presidential primary debates in September after successfully reaching the required poll threshold on Thursday.
Yang, who just became the ninth Democrat to qualify for the third debates, received 2% support in Iowa via a Monmouth poll, CNN reports.
To qualify, candidates are required to get 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.
The 44-year-old Asian American entrepreneur had previously hit the donor requirements back in June. He was also previously announced to be qualified based on an earlier poll, but the Democratic National Committee denied the qualification via email.
Two separate polls submitted earlier by Yang, a July 11 poll from NBC and The Wall Street Journal and a July 19 poll by NBC and SurveyMonkey, were only counted as one poll because both were conducted by NBC.
“Candidates may only count one NBC-sponsored national poll released during the current qualification period,” DNC senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill reportedly told Yang in the email.
Yang’s eventual qualification has put him ahead of other candidates who are veteran politicians, including senators, governors, and members of Congress.
Aside from Yang, the other candidates who have qualified for the September debate are former Vice President Joe Biden, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
The next month’s debate, which will be held in Houston, is set to be facilitated and broadcast by ABC News and Univision.
Yang now also qualifies for the fourth debate as any candidate who qualifies for the third debate automatically makes it into the fourth, as Politico points out. Those who have yet to qualify will have another month to try and meet the requirements.
In the last debate, Yang touted that “the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math.” Yang is expected to further discuss, among other issues, his “Freedom Dividend,” an initiative that would grant every American adult $1,000 per month to help cushion the impact of the automation of millions of jobs in the United States.
Featured image via Getty
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