Pence says he’s now met the polling and donor qualifications for the first Republican debate

Former Vice President Mike Pence revealed on Tuesday that he has met the necessary donor and polling qualifications for the first Republican debate of the 2024 presidential race. With the Milwaukee event scheduled just two weeks away, Pence has secured the requisite number of contributors, reaching a total of 40,000 unique donors, thereby fulfilling the last requirement set by the Republican National Committee for participation in the debate.

Pence is now the eighth candidate to publicly declare qualification for this initial debate. He joins a diverse list of candidates including former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

Although Pence had already satisfied the RNC’s polling prerequisites for the August 23 debate—attaining at least 1% in three prominent national polls or a combination of national and early-state polls between July 1 and August 21—he faced challenges in securing the required number of donors.

There was evident confidence from both Pence and his advisers that this goal would be achieved, but as the possibility grew that he might miss the debate, his fundraising efforts became more aggressive.

Pence’s profile was elevated last week due to a newly disclosed federal indictment detailing criminal charges against Donald Trump related to the former president’s actions to reverse the 2020 election results. The indictment underscored Pence’s key role in the case, relying partially on the notes he kept from his interactions with Trump before the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump, in his efforts to retain power, had allegedly criticized Pence as being “too honest” in refusing to support Trump’s baseless assertions that Pence could have halted Congress’s certification of Joe Biden’s win. This claim led to a distinctive shift in strategy from Pence’s typically cautious campaign, capitalizing on the statement by launching merchandise with the slogan “Too Honest” printed in bold red letters.

In a contrasting development, Trump has expressed doubts about his participation in the debate, citing his strong lead in the polls. He has even suggested the possibility of hosting a rival event simultaneously.

Meg Kinnard, the author of the original article, can be contacted at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

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