RNC announces requirements for first GOP presidential primary debate

The Republican National Committee on Friday revealed the criteria that 2024 GOP presidential candidates must meet in order to participate in the first primary debate in August. 

Prospective debaters will be required to hit several polling and fundraising thresholds in order to take the stage in Milwaukee, Wis., on Aug. 23, and all participants must also sign a pledge agreeing to support the party’s eventual standard-bearer and not participate in non-RNC sanctioned debates. 

“The RNC is committed to putting on a fair, neutral, and transparent primary process and the qualifying criteria set forth will put our party and eventual nominee in the best position to take back the White House come November 2024,” Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. 

The RNC will require that all participants attain at least 1% in three national polls or 1% in two national polls and 1% in a state poll from one of four early nominating states — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. 

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Polls must survey at least 800 registered likely Republican voters, not be conducted by a polling company affiliated with a candidate or candidate committee and meet other criteria in order to be considered valid. 

On the fundraising side, the RNC will require debaters to have a minimum of 40,000 unique donors to their principal presidential campaign committee or exploratory committee and at least 200 unique donors per state in 20 states or more. 

Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria will be arranged on stage based on polling, with the highest polling candidate getting center stage. The RNC left open the possibility of holding a second debate on Aug. 24, if enough candidates qualify — though it is unclear what the threshold would have to be to make that happen.

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The RNC notes that criteria for future debates may include higher polling and fundraising requirements.

Currently, six GOP presidential candidates are polling above 1% nationally – former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) – according to a RealClearPolitics average.

Pence has not formally announced his candidacy, but is expected to do so June 7. 

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Candidates with less name recognition, such as former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and conservative radio talk radio host Larry Elder, may struggle to meet the debate requirements. 

“The RNC should have minimal criteria for the debates in the early stages of this campaign. More choices are better,” Hutchinson said in a statement responding to the debate criteria. “I have always supported the party nominee, but I have never supported a party loyalty oath. The pledge should simply be that you will not run as a third party candidate.

“The 40,000 donor threshold will keep some candidates from being on the debate stage and benefits candidates who generate online donations through extreme rhetoric and scare tactics,” the former governor added. “It also deprives the voters in Iowa and other early states of an opportunity to evaluate the entire field of candidates. I do intend to be on the debate stage because it is important.”

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Trump, the GOP’s leading 2024 presidential candidate, has floated the idea that he may not participate in the primary debates because of his double digit lead over challengers in most polls. 

“People don’t debate when they have these massive leads. They say, ‘Why would we debate?’ I would have a hostile group of anchors — a hostile network — asking questions. Why would I do that?” the 76-year-old former president told John Catsimatidis, host of the “Cats & Cosby Show” on WABC radio, in April. 

The debate will be sponsored and televised by Fox News, which Trump has repeatedly criticized for its coverage of him since leaving office in January 2021.