The first Republican presidential primary debate is less than a month away, and seven of the candidates seeking the GOP nomination for the White House have met the required polling and fundraising criteria to earn a spot on stage.
Last month, the Republican National Committee (RNC) revealed the polling and fundraising criteria that GOP presidential candidates must reach in order to make the stage at the first primary debate, which Fox News will host on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The debate starts at 9 p.m. ET.
To make the stage, candidates are required to reach 1% in three national polls, or 1% in two national polls and two state-specific polls from the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. The polls must also be recognized by the RNC and must be conducted on or after July 1.
Additionally, to reach the debate stage, candidates must have 40,000 unique donors to their campaign committee (or exploratory committee), with “at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories,” according to the RNC criteria.
Here’s which candidates have met certain RNC requirements for the first Republican presidential debate. (Fox News)
The Republican candidates who have reached both the polling and fundraising threshold are, in alphabetical order:
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
- Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
- Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
- Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
- South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott
- Former President Donald Trump
From left to right: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott. (Scott Olson, Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images)
Other GOP candidates, as of Wednesday, have not yet met the fundraising threshold required by the RNC to take a spot on stage.
The candidates who have met polling requirements – but not fundraising requirements – include:
- Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson
- Former Vice President Mike Pence
From left to right: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and former Vice President Mike Pence. (Scott Olson, Michael M. Santiago, Mario Tama, Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The RNC says candidates must present their fundraising figures at least 48 hours prior to the first debate.
Besides signing a pledge agreeing to support the eventual Republican presidential nominee, the candidates also must sign a pledge agreeing not to participate in any non-RNC-sanctioned debates for the rest of the 2024 election cycle and to agree to data sharing with the national party committee, the RNC noted last month.
2016 GOP candidates take part in the Republican Debate from St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Feb. 6, 2016. (Ida Mae Astute/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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The first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle will air on Fox News, and Rumble is the online live-streaming partner. Young America’s Foundation is also a partner in the first debate.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
