Asa Hutchinson Qualifies for First GOP Primary Debate
Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced on Sunday that he has qualified for the first GOP primary debate, set to take place on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Hutchinson joins a crowded field of White House hopefuls, all seeking a breakout moment on the debate stage.
“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,” Hutchinson revealed during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Hutchinson confirmed that he had submitted 42,000 individual donors to the Republican National Committee (RNC). In order 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.
Additionally, candidates are expected to sign a loyalty pledge expressing their commitment to unite and support the eventual Republican nominee, regardless of who that may be. Hutchinson, a vocal critic of GOP frontrunner and former President Donald Trump, initially pushed back against the pledge, stating that he did not believe it should be a requirement to participate in the debates. However, he announced during the interview that he would sign the pledge, expressing confidence that Trump would not be the eventual nominee.
The former Arkansas governor also shared his expectations for the upcoming debate. He believes that the absence of Donald Trump on the stage will make it even more important, as it will provide voters with the opportunity to contrast the candidates and their positions.
Hutchinson had previously met the polling threshold but had struggled to meet the donor requirement. To attract sufficient contributors, his campaign recently announced a raffle for movie tickets. Hutchinson has been a prominent critic of the RNC’s debate qualification rules, describing some of the methods used by other candidates to attract donors as “silly.”
With just days to go until the first GOP debate, Hutchinson’s announcement puts him on stage with the six other candidates who have already qualified. 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 have all qualified. However, Trump, who currently leads the GOP race, is expected to skip the debate and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Hutchinson criticized Trump’s decision to skip the debate, calling it a “mistake” during an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta. He expressed his belief that Trump prioritizes his own importance over participating in the debate and defending his positions for the American people.
(This story has been updated with additional details.)