GOP Primary: Small Debate Stage Is Critical

The Republican National Committee has finally produced a set of criteria that the GOP’s presidential aspirants must meet if they want to appear in any of the sanctioned 2024 debates.

To make the first debate stage, candidates will have to show that they have secured contributions from at least 40,000 individual donors and that they have the support of at least 1 percent of GOP primary voters in national polls. These are low barriers to entry, but they have nonetheless produced howls of displeasure from some of the Republican Party candidates.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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The Republican National Committee has finally produced a set of criteria that the GOP’s presidential aspirants must meet if they want to appear in any of the sanctioned 2024 debates.

To make the first debate stage, candidates will have to show that they have secured contributions from at least 40,000 individual donors and that they have the support of at least 1 percent of GOP primary voters in national polls. These are low barriers to entry, but they have nonetheless produced howls of displeasure from some of the Republican Party candidates.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.