Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) promised to attend and take part in the first Republican presidential primary debate in August.
DeSantis told Fox News host Will Cain during a segment of “Fox News Tonight” he believed taking part in debates is an “important part” of the election process and helps voters to get to know candidates.
“I’ll be there regardless,” DeSantis said during his interview on Thursday, referring to former President Donald Trump saying he was considering skipping the first two Republican primary debates.
One of Trump’s associates told the New York Times that Trump had pointed out how he was “up by too many points” in several polls.
DeSantis commits to first GOP presidential primary debate regardless of Trump participation https://t.co/6mgYwP8NmU
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 7, 2023
“I hope everybody who’s eligible comes,” DeSantis said during his interview. “I think it’s an important part of the process and look forward to being able to be on the stage and introducing our candidacy and our vision and our leadership to a wide audience.”
Fox News will be hosting and broadcasting the first debate, which is scheduled to be held on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) released new qualifying criteria in June that candidates had to meet in order to attend the Republican primary debates, according to a press release from the RNC.
Candidates will have to raise at least $40,000 in national contributions, and will also have to consistently poll above 1% in “three national polls” or “two national polls” in addition to an early state poll from either Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada, or New Hampshire, according to the press release.
Polls conducted after July 1 will not count, according to the press release.
Candidates interested in attending the debate have until Aug. 21 to meet these criteria, according to the press release.
To date, Republican presidential candidates such as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, along with DeSantis and Trump have confirmed they’ve reached these qualifications.
An East Carolina University poll released in June shows that 59% of Republican voters would vote for Trump; 15% said they would vote for DeSantis; and 5% said they would vote for Pence. Ramaswamy received 3% while Haley received 2%.
A similar poll from NBC News in June shows 51% said they would vote for Trump; 22% said they would vote for DeSantis; and 7% of people said they would vote for Pence. Haley received 4% in the poll and Ramaswamy and Scott both received 3%.
