Former Vice President Mike Pence’s campaign and super political action committee (PAC) raised $3.85 million in the second quarter of this year, casting doubt on his debate eligibility.
Over the first three weeks of his campaign, Pence raised $1.1 million via his campaign directly and $2.6 million via his super PAC, a Pence advisor told Politico Friday. Pence has been in the race since June 7 of this year.
Frontrunners former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis raised $35 million and $20 million respectively. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who polls three points less than Pence in the Real Clear Politics polling average, collected over $6 million in the same timeframe. (RELATED: Biden Outpaces Every GOP Candidate In Second Quarter Fundraising)
The lack of funding has caused some to doubt whether Pence qualifies for the first Republican Debate in August, according to the Washington Post. Candidates are required to have 40,000 unique donors and poll over 1% in three qualifying national polls to be eligible for the first debate. Pence has achieved the polling requirements, but there has reportedly been no claim by the campaign the donor requirement has been satisfied.
So Grateful to the thousands of Americans who have already Donated to Pence for President! We need 40,000 donors to qualify for the first GOP Presidential Debate & You Can Help! Donate $1 RIGHT NOW & We will See You on the Debate Stage in August #Pence2024 https://t.co/NYOplB8K9i
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) July 10, 2023
“We’ll make the debate stage.” Pence said in Iowa Friday when asked about potentially missing the event, according to the Washington Post.
Six candidates have indicated they have reached debate qualifications thus far, including Trump, DeSantis, Scott, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.