With Kamala Harris out, Democrats face a high likelihood of the next DNC debate being made up of only white candidates, a potentially disastrous PR move for the party that is supposed to be built around “diversity.”
So far the 6 candidates who have qualified for the debate are all white – Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Tom Steyer and Amy Klobuchar.
With Harris dropping out, all 6 of the remaining candidates who have qualified for this month's debate are white. (Biden, Bernie, Warren, Steyer, Buttigieg, Klobuchar).
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) December 3, 2019
Cory Booker will not make the cut and Tulsi Gabbard and Andrew Yang are below the cut but could possibly qualify depending on if they can meet the polling requirement in the next week.
Booker spoke out on the lack of diversity in the race amid Kamala Harris’ exit during an appearance with Chris Hayes and said “We’re spiraling towards a debate stage that could have 6 people with no diversity whatsoever.”
WATCH: @CoryBooker on the lack of diversity in the race amid Kamala Harris’ exit:
“We’re spiraling towards a debate stage that could have 6 people with no diversity whatsoever.” #inners pic.twitter.com/NYXQuuGQmq
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) December 4, 2019
Julian Castro, who will also not qualify for the next debate, wrote:
The media’s flawed formula for “electability” has pushed aside women and candidates of color.
Our party’s diversity is our strength, and it’s a shame that we’re headed for a December debate without a single person of color.
The media’s flawed formula for “electability” has pushed aside women and candidates of color.
Our party’s diversity is our strength, and it’s a shame that we’re headed for a December debate without a single person of color.
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) December 4, 2019
Many other liberals on Twitter also chimed in.
If Kamala Harris is dropping out today, as is being reported, that means–among other things–that no candidates of color are yet slated for the December debate. Six white candidates have qualified. Folks, that’s a huge red flag, and we need to talk about it.
— Charlotte Clymer🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) December 3, 2019
No matter your candidate, you have to recognize that going from the most diverse field ever in January to a potentially all-white debate stage in December is catastrophic.
The implicit racism and sexism of “electability” is deeply damaging to democracy.
— Leah Greenberg (@Leahgreenb) December 3, 2019
With Kamala Harris’s departure — the December debate stage may likely be an all white candidate affair.
You can imagine the DNC is going to hear more complaints like this … given the historically diverse number of candidates running this year. https://t.co/9xAy4V3SbO
— Asma Khalid (@asmamk) December 3, 2019
Remember the diversity of the Democratic presidential field? Well thanks to Tom Perez and his debate criteria next week’s DNC debate will feature all white candidates. No Harris. No Yang. No Castro. No Booker. Good job, DNC. #DNC #Democrats
— Phil McNamara (@philindc) December 3, 2019
This article first appeared on TheConservativeOpinion.com
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