Six Republican candidates, including Donald Trump, have officially met the Republican National Committee‘s thresholds to qualify for the first primary debate next month, though questions remain on whether or not the former president will actually make an appearance.
Trump said he is leaning against joining the debate stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Aug. 23, and recently told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo just last week, “when you have a big lead, you don’t do it.”
In order to qualify for the RNC’s first debate, candidates must meet the 40,000 unique donor requirement—with 200 donors in 20 respective states or territories. They must also obtain at least 1% in polling across three national polls that meet the RNC’s specified requirements, or, 1% in two national polls as well as 1% in two polls conducted separately in the four early voting states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina.)
Trump’s final decision on whether to attend may drastically impact the party’s first debate stage, as a decision to join other candidates in Milwaukee could provide his rivals with a chance to challenge the former president—whose lead and support by wide margins in the polls gives him the weight of an incumbent.
Candidates will have 48-hours prior to taking to the debate stage to decide if they will join in, and each presidential hopeful is required to sign a loyalty pledge to support the eventual Republican nomination winner, although there has been some backlash from some of the GOP’s candidates.
Here’s where the other GOP hopefuls stand in their trek to the first primary debate stage on Aug. 23:
Ron DeSantis
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is Trump’s top rival in Republican primary polls, with a super PAC backing his candidacy reporting it has already raised $130 million since the governor’s campaign launched in March, who has also already met the donor and polling requirements.
DeSantis has been eager to call out Trump over his potential absence at the debate. Just last month, DeSantis declared “nobody is entitled to this nomination,” during an interview on The Howie Carr Show.
Since then, Trump has even been goaded by several Fox News personalities in hopes of convincing him to make an appearance on the debate floor.
Nikki Haley
Republican presidential contender and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley announced earlier this month that her campaign has also reached the donor threshold to qualify for the debates.
A super PAC supporting Haley’s candidacy submitted documentation showing it has raised $18.7 million supprting her bid for the White House since its creation earlier this year.
Her percentage point average has clocked in at around 3.4%, per the latest RealClearPolitics poll among Republican voters, meaning she will assuredly make it to the debate stage.
Tim Scott
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has amassed some of the largest donations of any GOP candidate, despite polling behind trump and DeSantis thus far, with over $20 million in fundraising, according to Federal Election Commission records.
His campaign also claimed to have reached the donor criteria to appear in the RNC’s first primary debate, and his standing in the polls shows that he should be cleared for debate, per the RNC’s requirements.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy, a political newcomer who made a name for himself in the biotech industry, announced Saturday that he had met the criteria.
Ramaswamy commonly earns at least 1% in the polls, often falling in the low single digits, but recently saw a rise in favorability. The business entrepreneur has consistently improved his polling numbers in recent weeks, with a Morning Consult poll from June 27 showing 6% in popularity among GOP voters.
Chris Christie
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who’s been eager to go toe-to-toe with Trump in a debate setting, said last week that he would reach the criteria for the first debate.
Christie became the sixth candidate to meet the qualification points, with the only outstanding issue being the loyalty pledge. He told CNN last month that he would take the pledge “just as seriously” as Donald Trump did 2016, but it’s unclear whether the RNC will accept that standpoint.
Other candidates who still do not qualify include Trump’s former Vice President, Mike Pence, Will Hurd, Doug Burgum, Ryan Binkley, Francis Suarez, Perry Johnson, and Larry Elder.
Pence, who is seen as the most prominent candidate who has yet to reach the RNC’s debate qualifications, netted fewer than $1.2 million in the second fundraising quarter, though he maintains that he will make it to the debate stage.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is also just one national poll away from meeting the polling threshold, though he still needs to amass 40,000 donors, for which he, as of late, has fallen short.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“We will qualify. Getting 40,000 donors in just a few short weeks is a challenge,” Pence said on Fox and Friends last week. “We’re not offering gift cards, not offering kickbacks or tickets to soccer games, just traveling.”
Other presidential hopefuls, such as North Dakota Gov. Burgum, have begun giving away $20 gift cards for a $1 donation to his campaign, indicating that strategy will hopefully, in-part, help propel him to the debate stage.
