7 Candidates Qualify For 2nd GOP Presidential Debate

September 26, 2023 4:56 am

The field for the second Republican presidential debate will be smaller than the first. The Republican National Committee says seven candidates have qualified for Wednesday night’s debate in California. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson participated in the first debate but didn’t meet the heightened criteria to make the cut this time. Former President Donald Trump will also be missing from the stage and will instead hold events in Michigan. To qualify for the second debate, candidates needed at least 3% support in two national polls or 3% in one national poll as well as two polls from four early-voting states. The White House hopefuls also needed at least 50,000 unique donors.