Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City has qualified to join the Democratic presidential debates for the first time.

He is now eligible to join other Democratic candidates on the debate stage in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

Bloomberg qualified thanks to a new national poll in which he received 19% support, second only to Sen. Bernie Sanders.

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Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City has qualified for the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday night after placing second to Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in a new poll.

It is his first time qualifying for a debate after the Democratic National Committee changed the qualification rules and removed a donor threshold. The billionaire CEO of Bloomberg LP is self-funding his campaign and therefore could not meet a minimum number of donors.

One way to qualify under the new rules is to receive at least 10% support in four eligible national polls. After meeting the threshold in polls conducted by Monmouth, Quinnipiac, and Fox News, he was put over the edge Tuesday thanks to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey in which he received 19% support, second only to Sanders’ 31%.

Bloomberg’s campaign manager, Kevin Sheekey, said in a Tuesday statement that the candidate was “looking forward to joining the other Democratic candidates onstage and making the case for why he’s the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump and unite the country.”

“The opportunity to discuss his workable and achievable plans for the challenges facing this country is an important part of the campaign process,” Sheekey added.

Bloomberg is set to take the stage alongside Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana.

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Since entering the presidential race as a latecomer in November, Bloomberg has poured $400 million of his own money into ads promoting his candidacy and attacking President Donald Trump, hiring a wide network of campaign officials to roll out his campaign on the ground.

As his campaign gathers momentum in the polls he’s attracted higher scrutiny, including from Sanders and other 2020 rivals, over controversial statements he has made and his ties to New York’s financial elite.

Bloomberg’s rivals for the presidential nomination are expected to focus their attacks on him in Wednesday’s debate.

Bloomberg is not on the ballot in the early Democratic voting states, including Saturday’s caucuses in Nevada. His strategy entering the contest March 3, the day known as Super Tuesday, when the greatest number of US states hold primary ballots.