Former Vice President Mike Pence has officially secured a spot in the upcoming Republican presidential primary debate, scheduled for August 23.
The development sets the stage for a potential showdown between Pence and former President Donald Trump.
Pence’s campaign revealed on Monday that he had successfully crossed the threshold of 40,000 donors required to participate in the first debate.
Having already met the polling requirement of achieving at least 1 percent in several polls, as tracked by POLITICO, Pence’s qualification was confirmed. Fox News was the first to report this news.
Joining a roster of seven other candidates who have met the debate criteria, Pence’s name is listed alongside Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, businessperson Vivek Ramawamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.
Pence’s qualification may potentially conclude the list of qualifying candidates.
However, on Friday, CNN reported that only Burgum, DeSantis, Haley, Scott, and Ramaswamy had signed the required pledge from the Republican National Committee (RNC) to endorse the eventual nominee.
Nevertheless, Pence has indicated that he intends to sign the pledge, according to the Washington Examiner. Notably, neither Chris Christie nor Donald Trump has endorsed the pledge.
The deadline for candidates to qualify for the upcoming debate has now passed.
While the RNC has yet to independently verify which candidates have met the qualifications, CBS News reported on Monday that, based on information provided by each campaign, the verified participants for the debate include Doug Burgum, Ron DeSantis,
Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and Vivek Ramaswamy. Notably absent from the list are Pence, Christie, and Trump, as they have not signed the pledge.
CBS News also pointed out that former Texas Representative Will Hurd, radio host Larry Elder, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson did not meet the criteria for qualification.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, though having previously claimed qualification, has yet to make an official announcement regarding his status.
The attendance of Donald Trump at the debate remains uncertain, even if he agrees to sign the pledge.
The former president has hinted for months that he might skip the primary debates, confident in his lead in the polls and asserting that his presence at the debates is unnecessary.
