The Republican National Committee announced new polling and donor benchmarks on Friday that presidential candidates must reach in order to qualify for the third debate in Miami on Nov. 8.
GOP candidates must receive 4 percent support in two national surveys or 4 percent in an early state poll from two separate states. The polls must be conducted on or after Sept. 1, and candidates must meet these requirements no later than 48 hours before the debate. Placement on the debate stage will depend on their polling numbers.
On fundraising, candidates must have at least 70,000 unique donors, with a minimum of 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20 or more states. Again, evidence of meeting this requirement must be shown two days ahead of the debate.
Additionally, the same pledge requirement stands, mandating that candidates support the Republican Party’s eventual nominee. They must also agree to not participate in unsanctioned debates.
The second debate, set for Sept. 27 at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., has a polling threshold of 3 percent, with 50,000 unique donors required. The thresholds have been raised for November's debate to winnow the field ahead of the Iowa caucuses in January.
Candidates who have already qualified for the second debate are: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
GOP frontrunner and former President Trump, who has pledged not to participate in any of the GOP debates, will instead deliver a speech on Sept. 27 to the autoworkers in Detroit who are on strike. For the first debate, he conducted a pre-taped interview with Tucker Carlson, which published on X as candidates took to the debate stage.