Which Republican presidential candidates have qualified for the August 23 debate in Milwaukee?
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WASHINGTON – The first Republican presidential debate will take place in Milwaukee in August. But just who will be on stage is not yet certain.
Former President Donald Trump has hinted he might not attend the Aug. 23 event. And while some candidates have said they’ll be there, others are struggling to meet the Republican National Committee’s stringent qualifying requirements.
Candidates must tally at least 40,000 individual donors to qualify. They also must meet a polling threshold, receiving at least 1% of support in three national polls or 1% of support in two national polls and two early-voting state polls.
Those who wish to attend the Milwaukee debate must pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee — a stipulation that has ruffled a number of candidates.
With less than a month to go before the debate at Fiserv Forum, here’s who might (and might not) be on stage:
Donald Trump
The current Republican front-runner has no trouble meeting the donation and polling thresholds.
Still, Trump has suggested he might skip the debate or even hold a competing event the same day. He’s cited his large polling lead over the rest of the Republican field as one reason he might not attend.
"When you have a big lead, you don’t do it," Trump told Fox News in mid-July. “You’re leading people by 50 and 60 points, and you say why would you be doing a debate? It’s actually not fair. Why would you let somebody that’s at zero or one or two or three, you know, be popping you with questions?”
Both top party officials and other candidates have encouraged Trump to attend. RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel this week said Trump is “going to keep us all guessing until the very end” but has said it would be a “mistake” for Trump to skip out on the debate.
Ron DeSantis
The Florida governor, second behind Trump in many national and state polls, said earlier this month he plans to be at the debate in Milwaukee “regardless” of whether Trump attends.
"I hope everybody who is eligible comes,” DeSantis told Fox News. “I think it's an important part of the process, and I look forward to being able to be on the stage and introducing our candidacy and our vision and our leadership to a wide audience."
Nikki Haley
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations, has met the RNC requirements as well.
A spokesperson for Haley’s campaign told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Haley is “looking forward to being at the debate.”
Tim Scott
South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott announced in July he qualified for the debate.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has indicated he’ll be at the debate.
He recently said his campaign exceeded 70,000 individual donors, and, in an interview at the USA Today bureau in Washington, D.C. in July, he said about 40% of those donors were “first-time-ever donors to a Republican or the Republican Party.”
Ramaswamy has largely polled third behind DeSantis in the high single digits.
Chris Christie
The former New Jersey governor is the most outspoken Trump critic in the Republican field and has centered his campaign around that newfound opposition.
Christie told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this month that he’ll be at the debate and accused Trump of being afraid to stand on stage and face his criticism.
"He is afraid," Christie said in an interview, when asked about Trump potentially skipping the debate. "And if he doesn’t show up, it will purely be a decision based in fear, no matter what else he says.”
Christie has polled around 1% and is likely to use the debate, which is expected to draw millions of viewers, to publicly go after the former president, whom he prepped for debates in both 2016 and 2020.
He plans to “continue to invite” Trump to the debate in the runup to Aug. 23.
Doug Burgum
Burgum on Tuesday said he met both the donation and polling requirements to qualify for the debate. His campaign is giving out $20 gift cards to people who donate as little as $1.
The North Dakota governor, who is relatively unknown compared to other candidates, told the Journal Sentinel he plans to use the debate to boost his name recognition.
“It’s well understood that we’re going to be the least well known,” Burgum said in an interview in downtown Washington. “And so part of it is we just have to use it as an opportunity to introduce who we are.”
He plans to support the Republican nominee for president, so the loyalty pledge does not appear to be a roadblock to the debate stage.
Mike Pence
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Aug. 7 told Fox News that he reached the 40,000 individual donor mark to qualify for the debate, making him the latest candidate to book his trip to Milwaukee.
Pence previously told CNN recently that his campaign made the polling requirement “very easily.” But getting to the required 40,000 individual donor mark had been more difficult.
“We’re literally working around the clock, got about a month to go,” Pence said at the time. “I’m confident we’ll be there.”
Candidates still trying to meet requirements
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez on Aug. 7 announced his campaign reached the 40,000 donor threshold. He said he was "confident" he would make it to the debate stage.
Meanwhile, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, and radio host Larry Elder are still working to meet both polling and donation thresholds.
Hurd’s campaign told the Journal Sentinel that the former congressman has not wavered in his refusal to sign a loyalty pledge — a position that would bar him from the debate if he qualifies. Hurd, the campaign said, will not support Trump if he is the GOP nominee.
What to know about Milwaukee debate
The debate will take place from 8 to 10 p.m. Aug. 23 local time and will be broadcast nationally by Fox News and simulcast on Fox Business Network. The Fiserv Forum venue for the first debate of the presidential election cycle will also be the scene for the conclusion of the Republican nominating process, when the party gathers for its national convention in Milwaukee on July 15-18, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who has qualified for 2023 Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee
