Sen. Cory Booker Cory Anthony BookerBipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death DHS opens probe into allegations at Georgia ICE facility Democratic lawmakers call for an investigation into allegations of medical neglect at Georgia ICE facility MORE’s (D-N.J.) deputy presidential campaign manager on Wednesday donated to one of Booker's 2020 opponents, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Kirsten GillibrandSunday shows preview: Justice Ginsburg dies, sparking partisan battle over vacancy before election Suburban moms are going to decide the 2020 election Jon Stewart urges Congress to help veterans exposed to burn pits MORE (D-N.Y.), saying she was trying to help ensure the New York senator secures a spot in next month’s Democratic primary debates.

“I just donated to ensure @SenGillibrand’s important perspective is on the debate stage,” Jenna Lowenstein tweeted. “Join me!”

I just donated to ensure @SenGillibrand’s important perspective is on the debate stage. Join me! https://t.co/KkdPlgTw0S — Jenna Lowenstein (@just_jenna) May 16, 2019

The crowded field of more than 20 Democrats is presenting new challenges for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as it seeks to organize debates for the largest and most diverse field of primary contenders in history.

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To qualify for the debates, candidates must garner donations from at least 65,000 unique donors or hit at least 1 percent in three approved polls. If more than 20 candidates qualify, the DNC will prioritize candidates who hit both thresholds.

Unlike Booker, Gillibrand has not publicly announced that she has met both the polling and donor threshold, Politico noted.

The DNC will announce the official lineup two weeks before the first debates, which will be broken into two rounds of up to 10 candidates each on June 26 and 27. Candidates will be randomly drawn to determine which night they appear on stage, a plan that is bound to face complaints from campaigns.

Politico reported that the show of support for Gillibrand follows Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signing a bill that outlawed almost all abortions in the state.

Gillibrand and Booker were both quick to denounce the Alabama bill.

“We’re rolling back decades,” Gillibrand said on CNN. “And if they were doing this on any other issue, you would see a groundswell of outrage. And I’m telling you, women have been marching against this president since he was inaugurated. Global women’s marches for years now.”

“If the president wants a fight with the American people and American women, he’s got it,” she concluded.

Booker called on other men to take action.

“Not because women are our mothers, wives, daughters. Because women are people. And all people deserve to control their own bodies,” he wrote.

Men, it's on us to speak out too. It's on us to take action.



Not because women are our mothers, wives, daughters. Because women are people. And all people deserve to control their own bodies. — Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) May 15, 2019

Gillibrand’s deputy communications director, Emmy Bengston, wrote on Twitter that the issue of abortion might not even come up during the 2020 primary debates.

“It is not a given that every candidate will defend reproductive rights as fiercely as @SenGillibrand. We need her on that stage.”