{"id":1965607,"date":"2023-07-06T13:22:01","date_gmt":"2023-07-06T17:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/struggling-campaigns-scrambling-to-qualify-for-first-gop-presidential-debate-1-at-a-time\/"},"modified":"2023-07-06T13:25:42","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T17:25:42","slug":"struggling-campaigns-scrambling-to-qualify-for-first-gop-presidential-debate-1-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/struggling-campaigns-scrambling-to-qualify-for-first-gop-presidential-debate-1-at-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Campaigns Struggle to Qualify for GOP Debate, One Dollar at a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstruggling-campaigns-scrambling-to-qualify-for-first-gop-presidential-debate-1-at-a-time%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1965607&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<h2>The Countdown to the First GOP Presidential Debate<\/h2>\n<p>After nearly six months of grueling state primaries, the GOP\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/candace-owens-teases-presidential-run\/\" title=\"Candace Owens Teases Presidential Run\">2024 presidential candidate<\/a> will be formally confirmed as the party\u2019s nominee during the July 15\u201318, 2024, Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<p>But while there are 376 days of campaigning between now\u2014July 6, 2023\u2014and then, another far more pressing timeline is posing an existential challenge for as many as half the 14 candidates in the GOP presidential race.<\/p>\n<p>There are just 46 days to qualify for the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee. With fewer than seven weeks to go, campaigns for several lesser-known candidates are scrambling to meet required polling numbers and to collect the 40,000 individual campaign donors needed to make the stage.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5232919\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/05\/01\/id5232919-ronna-mcdaniel-in-green-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n    Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, in Dana Point, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2023. (Patrick T. Fallon\/AFP via Getty Images)<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>At least one candidate, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who only launched his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blue-collar-truck-driver-on-verge-of-unseating-leader-of-democratic-machine\/\" title=\"\u2018Blue Collar\u2019 Truck Driver on Verge of Unseating Leader of Democratic Machine\">long-shot campaign<\/a> in late June, has also balked at a third Republican National Committee (RNC) debate requirement: Participants must sign an oath pledging to support the party\u2019s candidate regardless who it is in the Nov. 5, 2024, election.<\/p>\n<p>Other candidates, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and former President Donald Trump, have also either criticized or been non-committal about signing the pledge.<\/p>\n<p>And, of course, the viability of the whole 2024 RNC presidential debate program is in doubt in terms of impact and appeal if Mr. Trump follows through with his threat to not participate in the Milwaukee debate or a second one tentatively set for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.<\/p>\n<p>Fear not, Mr. Christie said in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovChristie\/status\/1676383162509807616\">a July 4 Twitter post<\/a>, the former president is going to be on that RNC debate stage in Fiserv Forum.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only thing bigger than Trump\u2019s mouth is his ego &#038; neither will let him skip a debate. Ranting on his fake Twitter all day won\u2019t change the fact he loves cameras more than he loves himself,\u201d he wrote. \u201cHe\u2019ll be on the stage and so will I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Christie is likely to meet the criteria to make the Aug. 23 stage, as are Mr. Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Hailey, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramasawamy.<\/p>\n<p>But as many as seven other candidates\u2019 campaigns may fall short. On the bubble are the campaigns for Mr. Hutchinson, conservative talk show host Larry Elder, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.<\/p>\n<p>Unlikely to qualify for the debate are Michigan businessman Perry Johnson, Texas entrepreneur Ryan Binkley, and Mr. Hurd, who has disqualified himself anyway by saying he won\u2019t sign the loyalty pledge.<\/p>\n<p>Failing to qualify for the first debate and gain the national exposure being on that stage could provide may be the death knell for several long-shot campaigns; several are likely to withdraw from the race after that first debate and before the next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/struggling-campaigns-scrambling-to-qualify-for-first-gop-presidential-debate-1-at-a-time\/\" title=\"Campaigns Struggle to Qualify for GOP Debate, One Dollar at a Time\">federal campaign finance report filing deadline<\/a> on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n<h2>Polls, Donors, Questions<\/h2>\n<p>The RNC only released the debate qualifications <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/rnc-unveils-2024-presidential-debate-rules-amid-uncertainty-about-trumps-attendance_5308985.html?utm_source=open&#038;utm_medium=search\">on June 2<\/a>. It breaks them down into three categories: Polling, fundraising, and candidate pledge.<\/p>\n<p>The debate polling criteria requires candidates to poll at least 1 percent in three national polls, or 1 percent in two national polls and 1 percent in one of the four early Republican primary states\u2014Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>Several campaigns say the criteria is confusing, especially a stipulation requiring them to verify at least \u201c800 registered likely Republican voters\u201d participated in a survey before it can be accepted by the RNC.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Burgum\u2019s and Mr. Suarez\u2019s campaigns are among those that say it unfairly penalizes candidates who don\u2019t have prominent name recognition beyond their states.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5350293\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/06\/22\/id5350293-Will-Hurd-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n    Former Texas Congressman Will Hurd speaks to guests at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Spring Kick-Off in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Scott Olson\/Getty Images)<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>The polls must be conducted between July 1 and Aug. 21, two days before the first debate.<\/p>\n<p>The fundraising qualification requires candidates to garner at least 40,000 \u201cunique\u201d donors, including at least 200 unique donors from 20 or more states and territories. Several candidates, such as Mr. Burgum and Mr. Johnson, could self-finance much of their campaigns but may struggle to capture the 40,000 individual donor mark.<\/p>\n<p>The RNC and Chair Ronna McDaniel has defended the threshold requirements as a precursory \u201csuccess metric\u201d to weed out marginal campaigns and to avoid a repeat of 2016\u2019s two-tiered, two-night debates.<\/p>\n<p>Although the idea is to get all candidates on the same stage at the same time, the RNC has nevertheless scheduled a second night of debate is scheduled for Aug. 24 should there be too many to squeeze onto the stage.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Hutchinson and Mr. Elder are among candidates who insist the polling and donor requirements are too burdensome this early in a campaign.<\/p>\n<p>But the RNC notes if a candidate cannot garner a donation\u2014even for as little as $1\u2014from 40,000 people when there were 2.5 million donors who gave in 2022 to WinRed, the primary GOP fundraising platform, then maybe they don\u2019t belong in the 2024 race.<\/p>\n<h2>Taking The Vow<\/h2>\n<p>Only candidates that meet the polling and donor requirements will be required to sign the loyalty pledge by Aug. 21. They must also pledge to not participate in any non-RNC sanctioned debate for the remainder of the election cycle and to support a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-bill-banning-zuckbucks-in-virginia-elections-is-headed-to-gov-glenn-youngkins-desk\/\" title=\"A Bill Banning Zuckbucks In Virginia Elections Is Headed To Gov. Glenn Youngkin\u2019s Desk\">data-sharing agreement<\/a> with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-fundraising-arm-now-accepts-bitcoin\/\" title=\"GOP Fundraising Arm Now Accepts Bitcoin\">national party committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. McDaniel has repeatedly issued statements in support of making debate participants mandatory to sign the loyalty pledge.<\/p>\n<p>In February she said it was a \u201cno-brainer\u201d measure to ensure the party \u201call come together and unite behind our nominee to defeat Joe Biden and the Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Hutchinson tried to convince the RNC to amend the pledge to only say candidates who don\u2019t get the party nod would vow not to run a third-party campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Christie backed that proposal, which was rejected by the RNC.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5214856\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/04\/23\/id5214856-04222023-DSC07535-Perry-Johnson-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n    Republican presidential candidate Perry Johnson speaks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu\/The Epoch Times)<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>While Mr. Christie told Axios in March that there was \u201cno way\u201d he\u2019d sign such a pledge if Mr. Trump wins the nomination and called it \u201ca useless idea\u201d during his CNN Town Hall in later interviews he\u2019s said he might sign it to get on the debate stage and ignore it later.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. DeSantis has said he\u2019d sign the pledge as a way to \u201crespect the process\u201d and \u201cpeople\u2019s decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Pence said during his CNN Town Hall he\u2019d sign the pledge despite previous comments that Mr. Trump\u2019s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, capitol breach should disqualify him from the race.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Haley, Mr. Scott, Mr. Ramaswamy, Mr. Elder, Mr. Burgum, Mr. Suarez, and Mr. Johnson have all said they\u2019d sign the pledge.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Trump has not said he would sign the pledge. He said in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/rnc-votes-to-hold-first-2024-presidential-debate-in-milwaukee_5079974.html?utm_source=open&#038;utm_medium=search\">February<\/a> \u201cit would depend\u201d who that ca<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The GOP&#8217;s 2024 presidential candidate will be confirmed at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 15-18, 2024. However, amidst 376 days of campaigning, a more urgent timeline presents an existential challenge. Starting from July 6, 2023, this challenge looms ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":509,"featured_media":1965608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1965607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1965607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/509"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1965607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1965607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1965608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1965607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1965607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1965607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}