OAN’s Shawntel Smith-Hill
11:39 AM – Monday, July 24, 2023
Biotech entrepreneur and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign announced Saturday that he had met the necessary criteria to take part in the first GOP debate next month.
The criteria set forth by the Republican National Committee (RNC) require that candidates meet a minimum threshold of 40,000 individual donors, including at least 200 donors from 20 or more states.
Ramaswamy’s campaign has stated that it has more than 65,000 unique donors and has met the additional requirement to reach the top 1% or higher in at least three national polls or 1% support in two national polls and one state poll from two presidential primary states recognized by the RNC.
Candidates must also sign a pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee in order to qualify. The campaign has already said Ramaswamy will sign the RNC’s debate pledge.
“The RNC’s debate stage criteria are stringent but fair,” Ramaswamy said in a statement.
He continued, “I am a first-time candidate who started with very low name ID, no political donors, and no pre-existing fundraising lists. If an outsider can clear the bar, politically experienced candidates should be able to as well: if you can’t hit these metrics by late August, you have absolutely no chance of defeating Joe Biden in the general election. “
Ramaswamy’s declaration is significant because it places him among the seven contenders who have met the requirements for pledges, polling results, and donors to participate in the August 23 GOP debate in Milwaukee.
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