Article snippet: WASHINGTON — Struggling Democratic presidential candidates braced for bad news Wednesday with the window to qualify for the next debate set to close at midnight, a near impossible deadline for them to make and one that was likely to spell doom for their campaigns. As time ticked down, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced she was dropping out of the race after spending at least $4 million on advertising in recent months to qualify. Billionaire climate change activist Tom Steyer, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and self-help guru Marianne Williamson were also among those set to miss September’s debate, as were Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and a handful of others. To appear on stage in Houston next month, they have to hit 2% in at least four approved public opinion polls while securing 130,000 unique donors . Two new polls released Wednesday affirmed that they were all below the threshold. With few developments expected before midnight, the question shifted from whether anyone else could qualify to whether anyone else would drop out. ‘‘Our rules have ended up less inclusive ... than even the Republicans,’’ Bullock said on MSNBC, referring to the thresholds set by the Democratic National Committee. ‘‘It is what it is.’’ In a still-crowded Democratic field, not qualifying for the debate would severely cripple the prospects of many candidacies, though several have pledged to forge on in hopes of reaching the requirements in time for the fol... Link to the full article to read more