Billionaire and former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg speaks at the Democratic National Convention in 2016.

Reuters

The Democratic National Committee changed its rules in a way that allows Michael Bloomberg to participate in the next presidential primary debate.

The organization eliminated the minimum donor threshold. Bloomberg is financing his own campaign, drawing from his $62 billion personal net worth.

Bloomberg is also the only candidate to personally donate to the DNC, giving it $300,000.

The debate rules change drew ire from left-leaning groups who allege that Bloomberg is leveraging his wealth to buy votes.

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Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg could appear onstage at the February 19 presidential debate — thanks to a last-minute change in the rules from the Democratic National Committee.

Until recently, the billionaire former New York City Mayor was almost guaranteed to be barred from the next presidential primary debate. But the DNC announced Friday that it was dropping an eligibility condition: Candidates no longer need to meet a minimum number of donations, previously in the hundreds of thousands, to win a spot at the DNC-sponsored debate. The Bloomberg campaign is not soliciting donations, which would have made it almost impossible for him to qualify by those rules.

Now, presidential hopefuls need only to reach 10% in four polls, hit 12% in two polls in South Carolina and Nevada, or receive at least one delegate in either Iowa or New Hampshire. Contestants in the January 14 debate needed 225,000 donations each. A month earlier, the December 19 debate required that candidates receive 200,000 donations apiece.

Bloomberg is the only candidate to personally donate money to the DNC, according to Federal Election Commission records. He gave more than $300,000 of personal money to the DNC in one day last November — and more than $800,000 to a DNC-adjacent fundraising PAC the same day. The only campaign that donated to the DNC was Friends of Andrew Yang, which gave $125,000 in 2019.

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Michael Bloomberg.

Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The path to the White House typically involves stumping around the country, engaging would-be constituents and drawing donations in the process. Bloomberg has pursued a different strategy: drawing from his personal wealth to buy more advertising than any of his competitors.

"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," Kevin Sheekey, Bloomberg's campaign manager, told Vice News. "He is proud to be doing the same with this campaign."

Left-leaning candidates criticized the DNC's decision

When DNC announced its decision to change the rules, critics railed against the Democratic Party's ruling body and Bloomberg alike, linking his donations to the change.

"Billionaire Bloomberg just bought the DNC," wrote presidential candidate and Representative Tulsi Gabbard.

"Now, suddenly because Mr. Bloomberg couldn't satisfy one of the prongs, we see it get changed?" Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, told Politico. "That's the definition of a rigged system where the rich can buy their way in."

"F--- the DNC," tweeted The Gravel Institute, a non-profit founded by former Senator Mike Gravel. Gravel, who rose to social-media virality with an online presence of irreverent, far-left memes, dropped out of the presidential race last summer.

Bloomberg is on pace to spend more than $1 billion in advertising in one year. He's doled out more than $250 million since filing campaign paperwork on November 21, 2019. Donald Trump, by comparison, spent less than $80 million of his own money over the course of his 2016 campaign.

Even though he is not soliciting donations from voters, Bloomberg's campaign is gaining steam. Of the Democratic voters whose primary is after Super Tuesday, he polls at 12%, according to Monmouth University data. In Texas, he is tied for third place with Senator Elizabeth Warren.

A Bloomberg spokesperson declined to comment on the record.

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