These 8 Candidates Could Be on the First Debate Stage

The first 2024 Republican primary debate is coming in a matter of days and it looks like the final candidate list is just about set.

So far, eight candidates have met the qualifications set forth by the Republican National Committee for participation in the first debate coming up on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee.

Candidates had to meet three qualifications to join the first debate stage:

• 1% or above in three national polls or two national polls and state poll
• Have at least 40,000 contributors nationally
• Have at least 200 unique donors per state in 20+ states/territories

Here are the eight candidates that have qualified so far.

1. Donald Trump

Yes, Donald Trump has easily qualified for the first debate but the question is whether or not he’ll debate at all. Trump recently stated that he’s unsure whether he should bother since nearly all polls show him with big double-digit leads over his closest rivals. Joining the debate stage would serve to elevate some of his opponents but it could also serve as a reminder why Trump won the nomination and the presidency in 2016. He’s the biggest personality and presence on stage and would likely steamroll his debate opponents as he did some eight years ago.

2. Ron DeSantis

DeSantis also qualified for the first debate quite easily as he has a large base of support and a fairly broad donor base. DeSantis is a good debater, at least when it comes to debating his record in Florida. DeSantis wiped the floor with former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in 2022 before going on to win his re-election bid by 20 points. DeSantis, however, also has a lot to lose or gain in the first GOP debate as he’s been unable to dig out of his current polling ceiling of around 20 percent support. DeSantis will need to attack Trump basically without attacking Trump and alienating his large base of support entirely. DeSantis cannot win the nomination without peeling away a good percentage of the MAGA faithful.

3. Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy has built somewhat of a cult following within the GOP primary field. Buoyed by his numerous media appearances where he refuses to back down on thorny issues and refuses to cede ground on anything to the woke left. Ramaswamy will be an interesting addition to the debate stage as his propensity to defend and support Donald Trump may be put to the test. On the other hand, if Ramaswamy is intending to secure a spot in a future Trump administration, much of his fire could be reserved for DeSantis, Haley, or anyone else sitting a few rungs above him in the polling order.

4. Nikki Haley

Haley might be comparable to the most generic Republican alternative in this election cycle to that of Trump or DeSantis. She’s taken a slightly more moderate tone on some issues and has sometimes put her foot in her mouth. While she had no problem qualifying for the first debate, her appearance there will largely be that of a footnote since she seems stuck behind DeSantis and sometimes Tim Scott in terms of early primary support. Trump voters don’t really trust her to stop outside the establishment shadow.

5. Tim Scott

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott seems to be a figure some anti-Trump voters are looking closely at. However, with views that fall out of mainstream MAGA beliefs on Ukraine and generally sounding sometimes like a creature of Washington, Scott isn’t going to make much of a mark. However, with DeSantis faltering and Haley stalled, the door has been open for Scott to make a move at the debate and perhaps come out as a shining alternative to Trump for voters weary of the MAGA message and perhaps concerned over indictment fatigue. Scott is a mild-mannered speaker with a compelling life story. The question is whether voters will trust him or envision him as Commander in Chief.

6. Chris Christie

Trump recently excoriated a supporter for referring to Christie as a “fat pig” and then reiterated that Christie should not be called a “fat pig” because we shouldn’t call people names like calling Christie a “fat pig.” The long and short of Chris Christie’s campaign is a kamikaze mission against Donald Trump. It’s been his stated goal since starting the campaign and nothing has changed since then. He seems to have little interest in actually winning the 2024 GOP nomination as his laser focus and obsession with attacking Trump is basically his entire campaign schtick.

7. Doug Burgum

Doug, who? Doug Burgum is the sitting governor of North Dakota, a post he’s held since 2016. As far as the 2024 primary goes, he’s a footnote of a midwestern governor who joined the race to do some traveling over the summer time and visit the Iowa State Fair for once. He’ll be a non-entity on the debate stage, a nice bookended on one side right across from Mike Pence.

8. Mike Pence

Finally, there’s Mike Pence, a candidate who barely ended up qualifying by the skin of his teeth. Pence was lacking campaign donors and was able to secure enough of them by basically begging folks to send him to the debate stage so he could poke Donald Trump in the eye. Well, Pence will get his wish to join the debate stage but his support in the primary hasn’t gone anywhere but down.

It’s possible there could be a last-minute addition to this list but time is dwindling. Watch the first Republican debate on Fox News live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 23.