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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 7 June 2019
DNC chairman: Debate rules fair despite candidate complaints
By BILL BARROW all of them, the chairman concept," Perez said, add-
Associated Press added, will have "unprec- ing that "if you want to win
ATLANTA (AP) — Amid criti- edented opportunities to the presidency, you've got
cism of Democratic Nation- make their cases to the to raise money through the
al Committee debate rules voters." grassroots and connect
for the 2020 election, Chair- But that's not how some with the grassroots" any-
man Tom Perez on Thurs- candidates see it after way.
day defended his deci- Perez raised the polling Bullock's campaign is cry-
sions to raise the qualifying and grassroots fundraising ing foul that the DNC is not
threshold for later debates thresholds for the third and including a Washington
and to reject the idea of fourth debates in Septem- Post/ABC poll from Febru-
one-issue debates, even ber and October, doubling ary that was open-ended,
for matters as grave as the the marks set for the first meaning voters could offer
climate crisis. two debates in June and their preferences without
"The candidates for presi- July. being prompted from a list.
dent on our side are spec- Montana Gov. Steve Bull- Bullock cleared 1 percent
tacular," Perez said of the In this April 3, 2019, photo, Tom Perez, chairman of the Demo- ock's campaign is adding in the poll, but the DNC has
two dozen Democratic cratic National Committee, speaks during the National Action a complaint about which since declared that it isn't
White House hopefuls , and Network Convention in New York. polls the DNC is using to de- using open-ended polls
Associated Press termine participants in the that don't poll voters using
first debate on June 26-27, a list of candidates.
arguing that Perez's team The national party con-
could end up excluding firmed publicly Thursday
Bullock. that open-ended polls
Still, Perez notes that the aren't good enough, lead-
rules for the first two de- ing Bullock's campaign
bates — reaching 1 per- manager to offer a scath-
cent in three approved ing memo accusing Perez's
polls or amassing at least team of issuing a "secret
65,000 donors — could re- rule" that "unfairly singles
sult in close to the maxi- out" the only Democratic
mum 20 candidates quali- candidate who won re-
fying. election in 2016 at the
"What we're going to do at same time his state voted
the end of June and end of overwhelmingly for Donald
July is unprecedented," he Trump. Bullock already is at
said, noting that the DNC a disadvantage to clear
had pressed the sponsoring the fundraising thresholds,
television networks to de- since he didn't launch
vote two weeknights each his bid until May, after
month for such a large field. Montana's legislature ad-
Raising the requirements journed.
thereafter, plus requiring DNC officials say Bullock
candidates to reach both was informed in March
the fundraising and the that the open-ended poll
polling marks, makes sense wouldn't count toward his
in a process that ultimately debate qualifications. Per-
requires winning millions of ez didn't address Bullock's
votes to become the nomi- situation specifically but
nee. argued that he'd "been ex-
"As you get closer to the ceedingly transparent and
primaries and caucuses, inclusive from the outset ...
you've got to demonstrate giving candidates time" to
progress. That is not a new meet the qualifying rules.q
