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Here's who has qualified for the November Democratic debate

A picture of Biden, Sanders and Warren on a previous debate stage.
Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The November Democratic primary debates — hosted by MSNBC and the Washington Post — are scheduled to take place in Georgia on Nov. 20, and 8 presidential candidates have already qualified to appear on stage.

How it works: Qualifying thresholds have narrowed for November's debate. Under the new rules, a candidate must reach 3% in at least 4 accepted polls, or reach 5% in 2 single-state polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and/or Nevada. A candidate must also attract 165,000 unique donors and a minimum of 600 unique donors per state in at least 20 states.

Which candidates will be on stage:

1. Former Vice President Joe Biden

2. Sen. Elizabeth Warren

3. Sen. Bernie Sanders

4. Sen. Kamala Harris

5. Mayor Pete Buttigieg

6. Sen. Cory Booker

7. Billionaire Tom Steyer

8. Andrew Yang

Between the lines: Some lower-tier campaigns told Axios in September they are hopeful about the November debate's requirements. Other top-tier candidates said they consider the 3% poll requirement too low in a field that remains crowded, especially 4 months out from the Iowa caucuses.

  • Failing to qualify for a debate would historically be a trigger for dropouts, but has been relatively ineffective among the 19 Democratic contenders still in the 2020 race.

What's next: The next primary contest will take place on a single night — Oct. 15 — with 12 candidates on stage.

Go deeper: 2020 presidential election: Track which candidates are running

2020 Democratic debates