Republican candidates prepare for first GOP presidential debate

The Republican National Committee on Monday said eight candidates qualified to participate in the debate in Milwaukee, Wis., on Wednesday. Former President Donald Trump, who leads in the polls, said he would not participate. Other leading candidates—Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley—plan to participate. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson also met thresholds for polling and donors, qualifying them for the debate. Fox News will host the debate, streamed live on Rumble, and is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

What were the requirements to participate? The RNC said candidates must have at least 40,000 individual donors to qualify. Candidates also needed to score at least one percent in three national polls—or at least 1 percent in two national polls and one early-state poll. Participants also had to sign a pledge to back the eventual winner of the GOP primary.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Stew about the RNC’s rules for selecting candidates for its debate.