The Republican National Committee sets higher thresholds for presidential candidates to qualify for the second GOP debate.

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In an effort to reshape the primary landscape and potentially reduce the number of candidates participating in the second Republican primary debate, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has announced significant changes to the qualification criteria. The debate is scheduled to take place on September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

According to the new criteria, which will be released on Tuesday, candidates vying for a spot in the second debate must meet higher polling thresholds compared to the first debate. Specifically, they will need to achieve at least 3 percent in two national polls or 3 percent in one national poll and 3 percent in two polls conducted in early nominating states, such as Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada.

The updated polling requirements surpass those for the first debate, where candidates needed 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 to qualify. Additionally, the RNC will count only polls conducted with large sample sizes and by firms unaffiliated with any of the candidates.

Alongside the higher polling thresholds, the committee has also raised the fundraising benchmark for candidates seeking to participate in the second debate. Each candidate must now have a minimum of 50,000 unique donors, with at least 200 unique donors coming from a minimum of 20 states or territories. This fundraising requirement must be achieved no later than 48 hours before the debate.

These criteria surpass the requirements for the first debate, where candidates needed 40,000 unique donors with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in at least 20 states and/or territories to qualify.

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Candidates participating in the second debate, as in the first one, will be required to sign several pledges, including supporting the eventual Republican Party nominee and refraining from participating in non-RNC-sanctioned debates.

As of now, the first debate, set for August 23 in Milwaukee, includes a list of qualified candidates, such as former President Donald Trump, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley. However, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson met the polling threshold but fell short of the fundraising requirement.

The media partner for the second debate is yet to be announced, while the first debate will be broadcast on Fox News Channel. With these new thresholds and requirements, the second Republican primary debate is anticipated to be a defining moment in the 2023 primary season, narrowing down the field and shaping the direction of the race.