Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, on Friday asked the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to "ensure transparency and fairness" in the polling criteria used for future debates.
In a release, Gabbard's campaign noted that the four-term congresswoman has more than 2% support in 26 national and early state polls, but that only two of the surveys are on the DNC's "certified" list.
This is despite "many of the uncertified polls, including those conducted by highly reputable organizations such as The Economist and The Boston Globe, are ranked by RealClear Politics and FiveThirtyEight as more accurate than some DNC 'certified' polls," the campaign said in the release.
"The Gabbard campaign is calling on the DNC to hold true to their promise and make adjustments to the process now to ensure transparency and fairness," the release said.
"Crucial decisions on debate qualifications that impact the right of the American people to have the opportunity to participate fully in the Democratic process should not be made in secret by party bosses."
In May, the DNC raised the threshold for participating in the September and October debates, requiring candidates to poll above 2% in four committee-approved polls and to raise money from at least 130,000 unique contributors.
Gabbard, 38, has met the donor requirement but is two approved polls away from getting on the stage in Houston next month. Democratic candidates have until Wednesday to qualify for the debate.
So far, these 10 candidates will appear on the stage in Texas, to be questioned by moderators from ABC News and Univision: former Vice President Joe Biden; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; California Sen. Kamala Harris; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke; Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren; former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro; and technology entrepreneur Andrew Yang.