The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced that eight GOP presidential candidates have officially qualified for the first primary debate slated for Wednesday evening in Milwaukee.
To qualify for the debate, candidates needed to meet polling and donor requirements set by the RNC, as well as sign a loyalty pledge vowing that they will support the eventual Republican nominee in 2024. The RNC said eight candidates met all three requirements as of Monday night, notably excluding former President Trump.
Those who qualified are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Despite appearing to met the polling and donor requirements needed for the debate, Trump’s opposition to the loyalty pledge likely kept him from qualifying for the debate stage. The former president suggested for months that he would not attend the debate, pointing to his comfortable lead in the polls as reason for not attending.
He confirmed that decision Sunday, floating the possibility that he will also skip future debates. His announcement came days after it was reported that the former president planned to sit for a pre-taped interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson instead of joining his primary challengers.
There are a handful of other candidates who did not qualify for the debate stage, including former Texas Rep. Will Hurd and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. Neither of them appeared to have met the polling requirements needed to qualify, and Hurd has also vowed to not sign any RNC loyalty pledge.
Businessman Perry Johnson, conservative radio host Larry Elder and pastor Ryan Binkley also did not qualify for the debate.
The debate will be hosted by Fox News and and is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. Wednesday.