Billionaire presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg may be eligible to join the debate stage after the New Hampshire primary under new rules adopted by the Democratic National Committee.
The dramatically revamped DNC criteria eliminate the individual donor threshold used for the first eight debates and double the polling threshold to qualify for future debates.
Bloomberg, the former three-term mayor of New York City — who is estimated to be worth $50 billion — is self-financing his campaign and not accepting contributions. The donor rule barred him from participating in the earlier debates.
After spending $270 million on TV and other media ads since launching his campaign in late November, Bloomberg is now topping 10 percent in recent national surveys — poll-vaulting ahead of other candidates who’ve been campaigning for a year or more.
Candidates have to earn at least 10 percent in four national polls released between Jan. 15 and Feb. 18, or 12 percent in two polls conducted in Nevada or South Carolina, in order to participate in the Feb. 19 debate in Las Vegas.
Bloomberg could meet the national polling criteria, if not the Nevada or South Carolina threshold.
Any candidate who earns at least one delegate to the national convention in either the Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary will also qualify for the Nevada debate.
Bernie Sanders’ campaign quickly slammed the new rules as unfairly elevating Bloomberg.
“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. That’s the definition of a rigged system,” said Sanders senior campaign adviser Jeff Weaver.
Bloomberg, meanwhile, is ready to make his case on the debate stage, said his campaign manager Kevin Sheekey.
“We are thrilled that voters could soon have the chance to see Mike Bloomberg on the debate stage, hear his vision for the country, and see why he is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump and bring our country together,” Sheekey said.
“Mike has run for office three times and never taken a dime from special interests, allowing him to act independently, on the merits, without having to do what donors expect. He is proud to be doing the same with this campaign.”