Qualifying for GOP presidential debates tougher ahead of 4th matchup in Alabama next month

COLUMBIA, S.C. —  A fourth Republican presidential debate has been set for next month, with heightened polling requirements that could make the stage less crowded than before.

In a memo sent to campaigns on Friday and obtained by the Associated Press, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said the debate would take place Dec. 6 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

To make the stage, candidates must garner at least 6% support in two approved national polls, or 6% in two of the early-voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

According to the memo, first reported by the New York Times, participants also need to amass at least 80,000 unique donors, with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory, in 20 or more states.

Candidates have until 48 hours before the debate to satisfy the requirements.

The RNC has made the requirements steeper with each debate, an effort intended to winnow the once-sprawling field.

Meeting all of the qualifications has been tough for some candidates, including former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who participated in the first debate but hasn’t met subsequent qualifications. Former Vice President Mike Pence, on stage for the first two debates, suspended his campaign last week after it appeared likely that he wouldn’t qualify for the third.

The third GOP debate, set for Wednesday in Miami, requires campaigns to garner 4% support in polls and notch 70,000 unique donors.

Although the party won’t confirm until Monday who will be onstage for the third event, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are expected to participate.

As he did for the first two debates, former President Trump — the GOP field’s current front-runner in polls — is skipping next week’s matchup. He plans counterprogramming with a rally in Hialeah, Fla., about a half-hour drive from the debate site.

Trump’s campaign has called for primary debates to be canceled, saying last month that the RNC must instead “refocus its manpower” on defeating President Biden next year.