URGENT – Bloomberg qualifies for Wednesday’s Democratic debate — his first

(CNN) — Michael Bloomberg has qualified for Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, paving the way for the former New York mayor’s first appearance on stage with his 2020 rivals. Bloomberg met the Democratic National Committee-mandated polling threshold on Tuesday with a NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey finding the former New York mayor at 19% nationally. The result is Bloomberg’s fourth poll above 10% nationally, which was the requirement from the DNC to qualify. Bloomberg’s presence on the debate stage injects a significant new variable into the event that falls just days before Nevadans caucus on Saturday. But the former New York mayor is skipping the first four contests, including Nevada, instead hoping to make his mark when several states vote on March 3, also known as Super Tuesday.