First GOP debate next month faces threats of boycott as lower-polling candidates scramble to qualify

Some candidates, like former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, are struggling to meet fundraising and polling requirements to make it onstage. He and others are pushing back on a loyalty pledge the Republican Party is insisting candidates sign to participate. And the race's frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, is considering boycotting and holding a competing event instead.

That's turning what is typically the highly anticipated opener of the election season into a source of uncertainty for the candidates and broader party. The frustration is particularly acute for candidates who hoped to use the forum as a powerful opportunity to confront Trump and try to blunt his momentum.

“If the outcome of all of these machinations is a very limited field and no Trump in the first debate, it's hard to see how that can be successful,” Hutchinson said. Still, he said he was confident he will make it to the stage, even though he said he has only received contributions from “over” 5,000 donors.

“We're not there yet. We've got a ways to go. And we fully intend to get there,” he said.

The Republican National Committee has said that, in order to participate in the Aug. 23 debate in Milwaukee, candidates must have received contributions from at least 40,000 individual donors, with at least 200 unique donors in 20 or more states. They also must earn at least 1% in three high-quality national polls, or a mix of national and early-state polls, between July 1 and Aug. 21.

Candidates will also have to sign a pledge “agreeing to support the eventual party nominee,” according to an RNC news release, and one agreeing not to participate in any non-RNC sanctioned debate for the remainder of the election cycle.

“Our criteria is very clear, we are ensuring quality polls are used to determine which candidates make the debate stage and we are confident that there will be enough polls for our candidates to qualify,” said RNC spokeswoman Emma Vaughn.

The candidates who say they have qualified so far include Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Some lesser-known candidates, such as conservative radio host Larry Elder, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, appear unlikely to make the cutoffs.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who launched his campaign June 7, has not yet released a tally of donors, but his campaign said it had raised “well into five digits" in the weeks since his announcement.

“Getting in late made it more difficult, but we’re confident we’ll get there,” said Pence spokesman Devin O’Malley.

As part of that effort, the campaign focused on direct mail, aided by the list it has rented from Pence’s nonprofit, Advancing American Freedom. That group had well over 40,000 donors, and Pence aides are hopeful those donors will also give to the former vice president’s campaign.

He's also been holding a series of fundraisers, including one in Boston next week that will be hosted by top Massachusetts Republican donor Bob Reynolds, the CEO of Putnam Investments.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has also expressed confidence he will hit the benchmarks, has pitched himself as the candidate most qualified to directly take on Trump onstage. While Trump's threats to boycott have complicated that argument, Christie's campaign has nonetheless urged donors to give even $1 to help him qualify.

Anthony Scaramucci, the financier who served briefly as Trump's White House communications director and is now supporting Christie, recently encouraged even those who have no intention of voting for the former New Jersey governor to nonetheless chip in.

“Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, whether you would vote for Chris or wouldn’t vote for Chris, we need someone onstage to tell the truth and put a stop to this nonsense,” he said during a recent podcast interview with the candidate.

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith has urged his followers to do the same. Smith said he's not endorsing any candidate but feels it is “imperative to have Christie onstage for several reasons.”

"Christie’s presence will force both Trump and DeSantis to defend their positions in ways others may be unable to pull off,” he said in an email, adding that watching Christie tussle with the likes of Trump and DeSantis would “be must-see TV, in my opinion.”

At the same time, Christie has criticized Trump for threatening to boycott.

“He should show up because he owes it to the Republican Party and the voters of the Republican Party to stand up and defend his record,” he said on CNN Thursday, urging viewers to visit his website, “donate to me, make sure I’m on that stage, because, if I am, I will raise those issues right to the president’s face.”

Trump, according to campaign officials, has yet to make a final decision on his plans. But he has indicated both publicly and privately that he is not inclined to participate, and aides have been considering options for an alternative event.

DeSantis said Thursday night that he planned to participate in the debate “regardless” of Trump's decision.

“I hope everybody who's eligible comes. I think it's an important part of the process and I look forward to being able to be on the stage,” he told Fox News.