Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced on Sunday that he has qualified for the first GOP primary debate, which will take place on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Hutchinson joins a crowded field of White House hopefuls who are looking for a breakout moment onstage. He revealed his qualification during an interview with CNN’s Kasie Hunt on “State of the Union.”
Hutchinson stated, “I’m pleased to announce that we have met all the criteria that the RNC set to be on the debate stage. We’ve met the polling criteria and now we’ve met the 40,000 individual donor criteria.” He further revealed that he had submitted 42,000 individual donors to the Republican National Committee.
To qualify for the debate, candidates must have at least 40,000 unique donors, with at least 200 unique donors per state, and must reach at least 1% in three national polls meeting the RNC’s requirements or at least 1% in two national polls and two polls from separate early voting states. They are also expected to sign a loyalty pledge expressing their commitment to unite and back the eventual Republican nominee, regardless of who that is.
A campaign spokesperson later confirmed that Hutchinson has signed the pledge, despite being a vocal critic of GOP front-runner and former President Donald Trump. Hutchinson had pushed back against the pledge, but he stated on Sunday that he would sign it, expressing confidence that Trump will not be the nominee.
Hutchinson also expressed his belief that the upcoming debate will be even more important without Donald Trump on the stage, as it will allow voters to contrast the candidates and their positions. He had previously met the polling threshold but struggled to meet the donor requirement. In an effort to attract more contributors, his campaign had announced a raffle for movie tickets.
Hutchinson has been one of the most outspoken critics of the RNC’s debate qualification rules, calling them silly. Nonetheless, his qualification for the debate puts him onstage with the six other candidates who have already qualified, including former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and South Carolina Gov. Tim Scott. Trump, the current GOP front-runner, is expected to skip the debate and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
In an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta on Saturday, Hutchinson criticized Trump’s decision to skip the debate, calling it a mistake. He argued that it seemed like Trump was prioritizing himself over the party and the American people.
Ronna McDaniel, the Chair of the Republican National Committee, expressed her hope that Trump would still decide to participate in the debate, emphasizing the importance of hearing from all the candidates. She also mentioned that more candidates could qualify for a spot on the stage before Wednesday.
As the debate approaches, the Republican primary race continues to heat up, with candidates vying for their chance to stand out and gain support from voters. The debate will undoubtedly provide a platform for candidates to present their positions and contrast themselves with their opponents.
Original Story at www.cnn.com – 2023-08-20 23:09:00
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