A DNC rule change that removes individual donor requirements for presidential candidates to participate in debates was deemed part of a 'rigged system' by the Bernie Sanders campaign on Friday.
a Democratic National Committee rule change that eliminates the individual donor threshold for candidates participating in debates, possibly opening the door for billionaire former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg at future debates.
The rules previously required candidates to have hundreds of thousands of individual donors in order to qualify, but the DNC on Fridaythe requirement for the February 19 debate in Nevada. Bloomberg had been ineligible to participate in past debates at least partly due to bankrolling his campaign with his own fortune instead of individual contributions.
"To now change the rules in the middle of the game to accommodate Mike Bloomberg, who is trying to buy his way into the Democratic nomination, is wrong," said Sanders campaign senior adviser Jeff Weaver in a statement."That's the definition of a rigged system."The new rules require candidates to have at least one pledged delegate from the Iowa caucus or the New Hampshire primary, or poll at 10 percent or higher in four national polls in order to participate.
A late entry to the Democratic field, Bloomberg had previously failed to meet both polling and fundraising thresholds to participate in the debates. It's unclear whether his polling numbers will qualify him for the Nevada debate, but some recent polls have shown him on the rise. Rival candidates have accused Bloomberg of trying to"buy" his way into the nomination. Sanders in particular has focused a great deal of his campaign on income inequality and expressed early doubts about the viability of Bloomberg's candidacy.
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