Where is Tulsi Gabbard? Why The Hawaii Congresswoman Won't Attend Friday's Democratic Debate

Democratic candidates for president will return to the debate stage Friday, some for the ninth time, but Representative Tulsi Gabbard won't be among them.

Co-hosted by ABC, WMUR-TV and Apple News, the Manchester, New Hampshire, debate will be the last one before the state's primary on February 11. Gabbard, who announced her candidacy in January 2019, has missed the last two debates, in December and January, and did not qualify for Friday's.

To qualify for Friday's event, candidates had to meet both a polling and donation requirement. For polling, they had to receive at least 5 percent support in at least four national polls or early-state surveys in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, or 7 percent support in at least two early-state polls from qualifying polling organizations.

Gabbard hit the 5 percent polling threshold in two state or national polls, but per the rules, she was two polls shy of meeting the qualification, according to The New York Times.

Candidates also had to have at least 225,000 unique donors, including at least 1,000 donors in at least 20 states or territories. Gabbard, according to Time, had the required donations, but without the necessary poll results, she is barred from the stage on Friday.

Newsweek reached out to Gabbard for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

Seven candidates have qualified for the debate: former Vice President Joe Biden; former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Senators Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren; billionaire businessman Tom Steyer; and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is automatically disqualified from the debate because he doesn't solicit donations, so it's impossible for him to meet a donor requirement. However, Bloomberg could appear on the debate stage for the first time on February 19, because the Democratic National Committee has decided there will no longer be a donor threshold.

Biden, Sanders and Warren have already qualified for that debate, which will be held in in Las Vegas, according to the Times.

The congresswoman was also absent from CNN's New Hampshire town halls, which occurred on the two days leading up to the debate. She said she was not invited. She also criticized media outlets for being biased against her and systemically shutting out the "first female combat veteran to run for president," as well as the "only woman of color left in the Democratic race."

Two hours before the debate is supposed to start, Gabbard will hold a town hall in Somersworth, New Hampshire. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear her speak, "ask questions, snap a photo and see for yourself why she is the best choice for our next president," according to her campaign's website.