New Republican Presidential Candidate Will Be On the Debate Stage Tonight

A total of seven Republican presidential candidates will take the stage tonight to debate in the second Republican primary debate.

One candidate however was not featured in Fox News’ first debate and that candidate is North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

Burgum was barely able to meet the minimum requirements for what is needed to participate in the RNC’s debate.

In order to qualify, candidates must sign a pledge promising to support the GOP nominee, receive 3% in the polls, and hit donation targets.

Doug Burgum reportedly qualifies for the second GOP debate | Just The News https://t.co/kxVmmRh5iD

— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) September 23, 2023

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum qualifies for first GOP primary debate https://t.co/1SNt7k19NS

— POLITICO (@politico) July 25, 2023

Here’s what the Dickinson Press reported:

After weeks of uncertainty over whether he’d qualify, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is slated to appear with six other candidates on Wednesday, Sept. 27, in the second Republican presidential debate.

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It’ll be another opportunity for Burgum to make his presidential pitch and contrast himself with other Republican candidates before an audience of millions. He was the last candidate to qualify for the debate after reaching a 3% national polling requirement late last week.

Fox Business and Univision are carrying the debate broadcast, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Central Time and is expected to run for two hours. Seven candidates will take the stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Online video platform Rumble is carrying the livestream.

Fox News hosts Dana Perino and Stuart Varney will be joined by Univision anchor Ilia Calderón to moderate the debate.

Rules will differ slightly from the first debate in Milwaukee last month, according to guidance from Fox reported by ABC News. Candidates will once again have one minute to answer questions and 30 seconds for follow-ups, but there will be no opening or closing remarks.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum qualifies for RNC debate https://t.co/wSmfDUhIUR

— NewsNation (@NewsNation) July 25, 2023

Here’s what ABC News reported:

Six of the seven qualifiers comfortably met the polling and donor metrics to make the stage, based on 538’s analysis. On the polling front, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy hit 3 percent in every qualifying national and state poll, while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley missed the mark in just one survey of Iowa. Former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott each hit the 3 percent mark in at least three-fourths of national and state surveys. None of the qualified candidates had any lingering uncertainty about attracting enough donors, either, as the small uptick from 40,000 to 50,000 contributors proved easily surmountable.

However, the RNC’s higher polling thresholds proved a challenge for the other contenders, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, the seventh and final candidate to qualify. Burgum announced in late July that he had 50,000 unique donors, and he attracted 3 percent in surveys from Iowa and New Hampshire. But that left him one national poll short of qualification. Early Saturday morning, though, the Trafalgar Group released a national poll that had Burgum at 3 percent, just allowing him to qualify for the stage.