Which other Republicans have a chance to participate in the initial primary debate?
Republican Primary Debate: Who Will Make the Cut?
As the first Republican primary debate approaches, nearly half the field has still not reached the requirements needed to attend.
However, a few candidates are close. Former Vice President Mike Pence became the latest candidate to reach the requirements set forth by the Republican National Committee, with many speculating that he could be the last. Despite this, some candidates retain hope they could stand on the debate stage on Aug. 23.
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In order to qualify for the debate, the RNC demands that candidates meet certain criteria:
- Poll at least 1% in a national poll
- Have 40,000 individual donors
- Sign a loyalty pledge to support the Republican nominee
Here are the other Republicans with a shot at joining the current eight candidates with an open spot on the debate stage:
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson
One of the leading Republican critics of Trump, Hutchinson has attempted to carve out an audience of anti-Trump conservatives, spending much of his campaign criticizing the former president. Reaching the debate stage is a critical element of his campaign, allowing him to possibly face off against Trump, assuming he attends. In a Wednesday interview with Newsmax host Eric Bolling, Trump pondered over whether he should attend, addressing the threat of candidates such as Hutchinson attending and asking him “nasty questions.”
Though the former governor has reached the polling threshold, he has yet to reach the donor requirement. With just about two weeks to go, Hutchinson is only halfway toward the 40,000 minimum.
Hutchinson told Talk Business and Politics on Sunday that he has only gotten money from 20,000 donors, with half of that coming in the past two weeks. However, he voiced optimism that he could make up the difference before Aug. 23.
“We’re going at a fast pace. And I want to say Arkansas has just been terrific. They’ve been very supportive, they know what’s at stake, they want me on the debate stage. And I’m very, very grateful to them,” he said.
Former Rep. Will Hurd
The former CIA spy and Texas representative has also distinguished himself as an anti-Trump Republican, spending much of his airtime criticizing the former president. Though he hasn’t hit the donor threshold yet, Hurd has expressed confidence that he will. However, even if he does, he adamantly maintains that he won’t take the loyalty pledge, possibly disqualifying him.
“I’m not taking the pledge,” he told Fox News last week. “Donald Trump hasn’t even agreed to take the pledge and whether he’s going to participate. So a lot can happen in these next few weeks. My focus is on meeting those requirements and being in places like New Hampshire to talk to voters.”
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez
Suarez joined the Republican race later than most, but claims to have already met the donor threshold. However, he has not yet reached 1% in national polls, though he has expressed confidence that he will soon. He blamed his low polling on a lack of recognition, something he is working to change.
“We’re going to obviously spend money over the next couple of weeks to get it there. But, you know, for me, this is very different than for other candidates. I mean, like I said, a lot of them are well-established national figures,” Suarez told Fox News’s Your World on Tuesday. “For me, this is an incremental process getting on the debate stage, introducing myself.”
Perry Johnson
The long-shot candidate claims to have met the donor threshold as of last week, at least in part, by selling $1 T-shirts. However, he has failed to poll above 0% in any national poll so far. In most, he fails to even register or be mentioned, closing him off from the debate.
Larry Elder
The conservative talk show host and former California gubernatorial candidate has made little headway since announcing his candidacy, apparently failing to meet either the polling or donor thresholds. He has voiced his frustration with and opposition to the RNC debate criteria, accusing them of rigging the primary.
“Whether it was intended or not, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has rigged the rules of the game by instituting a set of criteria that is so onerous and poorly designed that only establishment-backed and billionaire candidates are guaranteed to be on stage,” Elder wrote in a July op-ed for the Hill.
“I am running for president to give back to the country that has given so much to me and my family, not to serve as a piggy bank for a political party,” he added.
Stay tuned to see which candidates will ultimately make it to the debate stage and have the opportunity to share their views with the American people.
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