Seven Republican Presidential Candidates Qualify for Second Debate
Seven Republican presidential candidates have qualified for the second GOP debate, which will be held Wednesday night in Simi Valley, California. The candidates are:
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
- Conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
- Former Vice President Mike Pence
- Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley
- South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott
- Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not make the cut, despite qualifying for the first debate. He said in a statement that he failed to meet the polling threshold.
The Republican National Committee raised the fundraising and polling requirements to qualify for the second debate. Candidates now need to have at least 50,000 unique donors, including at least 200 from 20 states or territories, and must show they received at least 3 percent support in two national polls, or 3 percent in one national poll and in two polls taken in the four early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
Former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, will again not be participating in the debate. He has refused to sign the RNC loyalty pledge, vowing to support the eventual Republican nominee in the general election. Instead, Trump will be making a prime-time address to striking autoworkers in Detroit, Michigan on Wednesday.
The second GOP presidential debate will air at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on CNN.
