Former Vice President Mike Pence’s campaign received news this week that he has yet to meet the individual donor threshold of 40,000 donors in order to qualify for the upcoming GOP presidential debate hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, former President Donald Trump’s No. 2 indicated that he had yet to meet the individual donor threshold to qualify for the debate stage towards the end of August in an event to be hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee, Wis.
“I’m very humbled by the support around the country, which is one of the criteria,” Pence said when asked about the 40,000-donor requirement, according to The Hill. “But yes, having 40,000 individual donors, we’re literally working around the clock. Got about a month to go, I’m confident we will be there.”
To be eligible for the upcoming GOP presidential debate, candidates must meet specific polling and financial criteria. These criteria include having a minimum of 40,000 unique donors, with at least 200 unique donors from 20 or more states or territories. In addition, candidates must pledge their support for the eventual Republican nominee, The Hill added.
In addition to needing 40,000 unique donors from at least 20 different states or territories, candidates must also pledge their support for the eventual Republican nominee in order to be eligible for the debate stage.
When asked how close he is to meeting this requirement, Pence commented that they are making progress though they are not there yet and promised when they know, everyone else would as well. He further clarified that no kickbacks or gift cards were being offered as incentives for donating.
The former Vice President was also questioned about his role in relation to events of January 6th 2021 at the U.S Capitol during a 2024 GOP candidate forum hosted by former Fox News star Tucker Carlson called The Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines Iowa.
When asked if it (Jan 6) was an insurrection or riot as some have described it, Pence responded that it was a tragic day and stated “I’ve never used the word ‘insurrection’ Tucker but it was a riot which took place at The Capitol”.
Pence went on to mention that Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt who died as a result of her involvement with these events during which many supporters of Donald Trump turned against him.
But despite distancing himself from his former boss Mike Pence hasn’t gained much traction with Republican voters so far based on polling results leading up until now.