Washington: Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York has qualified for Wednesday’s debate in Las Vegas, the first time the billionaire will appear onstage alongside his Democratic presidential rivals.
A national poll from NPR, PBS NewsHour and Marist released on Tuesday showed Bloomberg with 19% support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, putting him in second place behind Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who had 31 per cent. That was a substantial surge since the group’s poll in December, when Bloomberg received only 4% support.
The survey was the fourth national qualifying poll since mid-January that showed Bloomberg with at least 10% support, enough to earn him an invitation to the debate stage before the deadline of 11.59pm Eastern time on Tuesday.
Bloomberg will face off against Sanders; Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; former Vice President Joe Biden; and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
The debate, which will air Wednesday at 9pm Eastern time, will be hosted by NBC News, MSNBC and The Nevada Independent.
Bloomberg’s 19 per cet mark was his highest level of support in any debate-qualifying national poll to date. The latest national polling average calculated by The New York Times, which was released late last week, put him at 10% nationally, behind Sanders, Biden and Warren.
Sanders’ support has also increased since the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll in December, when he had 22%. The new poll is the first debate-qualifying national poll released this year showing Sanders with more than 30% support.
In the new poll, Biden had 15 per cent, Warren 12 per cent, Klobuchar 9 per cent and Buttigieg 8 per cent. The poll surveyed 527 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents by phone Feb. 13-16 and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Bloomberg formally entered the race in November, nearly a year after most of the other candidates. He failed to make the cut for the past several debates in part because he is not accepting outside contributions for his campaign. But new rules announced by the Democratic National Committee opened the door to his participation, as they enabled candidates to qualify for the Las Vegas debate, as well as the one that will take place on February 25 in Charleston, South Carolina, without meeting a donor threshold.
Bloomberg’s campaign manager, Kevin Sheekey, confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that Bloomberg would take part in the next debate.
“Mike is looking forward to joining the other Democratic candidates onstage and making the case for why he’s the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump and unite the country,” Sheekey said. “The opportunity to discuss his workable and achievable plans for the challenges facing this country is an important part of the campaign process.”
Also on Tuesday, Monmouth University released a poll of Virginia voters showing Bloomberg and Sanders tied at 22 per cent each and leading the field. With 99 delegates at stake, Virginia is the fourth-largest prize on the Super Tuesday calendar, and Monmouth’s is the first poll to have been taken there since the summer. It is one of the first polls of any state in which Bloomberg has broken 20%, reflecting the intense focus that he has put on the states that vote March 3. (The Virginia poll has no effect on qualifications for this week’s debate.)
Tom Steyer, the other billionaire seeking the Democratic nomination, has participated in the five most recent debates, but he is unlikely to be onstage in Las Vegas. He would need to receive 10% support in four national qualifying polls, or 12% in two polls taken in Nevada or South Carolina, before the deadline.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, the only other candidate still in the race, has not reached the threshold in any qualifying polls, either.
