The second GOP debate will take place at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California on September 27, 2023. Alex Isenstadt of Politico is reporting that it is going to be difficult for candidates to get on the stage. Here is a taste:
The Republican National Committee is upping the thresholds significantly for presidential candidates seeking to qualify for the party’s second sanctioned debate next month, according to new criteria set to be released on Tuesday.
The move that could alter the contours of the primary, potentially winnowing down the number of candidates who will be able to appear onstage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 27.
According to a person familiar with the plans, candidates will need to hit at least 3 percent in two national polls, or 3 percent in one national poll and 3 percent in two polls conducted from separate early nominating states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada), in order to qualify.
The polling threshold is higher than the first debate, for which a candidate will need to poll at least 1 percent in three national polls or 1 percent in two national polls and 1 percent in two early-state polls, in order to qualify.
For the second debate, the polls the RNC will count must meet the same criteria as for the first debate: conducted with large sample sizes and by firms that are not affiliated with any of the candidates.
That criteria eclipses the thresholds candidates have to meet to qualify for the first debate, for which they must have 40,000 unique donors with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories.
Read the rest here.