HELENA – Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s presidential campaign said Tuesday he has met qualifications for the second Democratic presidential candidate debate in July — but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be on the stage in Detroit.
His campaign said he met the Democratic National Committee’s qualifying threshold by earning 1% in a third poll — a new CBS News poll in Iowa released Sunday.
“As the only candidate who has won in a Trump state, we are excited that Gov. Steve Bullock’s important voice will be on the stage for the second debate,” his campaign manager, Jenn Ridder, said in a statement.
Yet the website Politico reported Tuesday that he is the 21st Democratic presidential candidate to qualify for the July debate and that the DNC is limiting the debates to no more than 20 candidates.
If a tie among candidates exists, a series of tie-breaking rules could be triggered, Politico reported — but it also noted that additional polling between now and the late July debate could affect the ranking of the candidates.
Bullock, who launched his long-shot candidacy May 14, did not qualify for the first debate, which is next week in Miami.
Bullock has made several trips to Iowa to campaign since entering the presidential race and is scheduled to visit New Hampshire this weekend.
New Hampshire has the nation’s first presidential primary election next February, while Iowa has the first presidential nominating caucus, a week earlier.
–Mike Dennison reporting for MTN News
