A change by the Democratic National Committee to its presidential debate qualifications would exclude Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the only remaining female and minority candidate in the race.
Under the newly announced rules for the March 15 CNN/Univision debate, candidates must have at least 20 percent of the awarded pledged delegates in order to qualify.
In every debate since February’s Iowa caucus, any candidate who received even a single delegate automatically qualified for the debate.
Gabbard won two delegates on Super Tuesday by placing second in the American Samoa caucus.
Candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have already locked up the required delegates, but the rule change makes it nearly impossible for Gabbard to qualify, even with a strong showing in the next round of primaries.
The congresswoman needs 335 more delegates to lock up 20 percent by March 15, but only 352 are up for grabs on March 10.
Gabbard suggested on Thursday that she would attend the debate if invited, tweeting that she would “welcome the opportunity to raise & discuss the foreign policy challenges we face.”
The Democratic Party of American Samoa delegates to the DNC for Gabbard are Tamatoa Tony Langkilde and Karl Prendergast.
