OnPolitics: Mike Pence is heading to the debate stage

Hi OnPolitics readers! Debates are a critical part of campaign season, and primary debates are no different. They give voters the opportunity to weigh Republican or Democratic candidates against each other before the parties pick their final nominees.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has qualified for the first Republican presidential primary debate, which is scheduled for later this month, USA TODAY's Sudiksha Kochi reported.

⏰ Why did it take Pence 9 weeks to qualify? Even with widespread name recognition – he’s a former vice president, after all – Pence struggled to meet the donation requirements set by the Republican National Committee. A candidate has to have 40,000 unique donors and score above 1% in a certain number of national or state polls to qualify.

💲 Pence received a surge of donations after former President Donald Trump’s third indictment this year, which accused the former commander in chief of trying to pressure Pence to help overturn the results of the 2020 election.

This debate is going to be different: The first GOP primary debate later this month might not look like previous Republican faceoffs. Why? The clear frontrunner might not attend.

Trump has argued that, with his major lead in polls across the country, he shouldn’t have to debate his Republican rivals. But the former president hasn’t formally announced whether he’ll go to the first debate, seemingly leaving it to his supporters to decide.

Mike Pence makes the debate stage: 'Hopefully former President Trump has the courage to show up'

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Pence qualifies for 2024 Republican presidential debate