The Republican National Committee unveiled its criteria for the second primary debate, and tightened requirements might mean that some candidates won't be able to take the stage Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Heading into the second debate, candidates must hit 3% in two different national surveys or 3% in one national survey plus 3% in two surveys from different early nominating states, such as Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, or Nevada, according to Politico.
The polling threshold is higher than for the first debate, for which candidates need to hit at least 1% in three national surveys or 1% in two national surveys plus 1% in two early-state surveys.
The surveys the RNC will count include those conducted with large sample sizes and by firms that are independent of any of the candidates.
The donor requirements will also be stricter for the second debate, Politico reported, with the RNC requiring that candidates have 50,000 unique donors — 10,000 more than are required for the first debate. Candidates must also have at least 200 unique donors from more than 20 states or territories.
The donor threshold must be reached no later than 48 hours before the debate.
As the first debate on Aug. 23 approaches, several candidates are struggling to meet this requirement, with former Vice President Mike Pence being the most prominent.
Candidates must also have signed several pledges, including one stating that they will support the eventual Republican Party nominee and one to not participate in any non-RNC primary debates.
So far, the candidates who have qualified to appear on stage in Milwaukee for the first debate include 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, R-S.C., and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, according to Politico.
Pence and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson have met the polling requirements for the first debate, but have not yet met the fundraising threshold.
Trump is reportedly still mulling participation in any of the RNC's debates, suggesting that he doesn't need to debate due to his large lead over the other candidates.
"Ronald Reagan didn't do it and a lot of other people didn't do it," he said during an interview on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures." "When you have a big lead, you don't do it.
"We have a lead of 50 and 60 points in some cases. … You're leading people by 50 and 60 points, you say why would you be doing a debate? It's actually not fair. Why would you let somebody that's at zero or one or two or three be popping you with questions?"
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has previously said it would be a "mistake" for Trump not to participate.
"I think it's a mistake to not to do the debates, but that's going to be up to him and his campaign," McDaniel told Fox last month.