Morning Distribution for Tuesday, June 6, 2023

A [FiveThirtyEight]( email [Morning Distribution]( Tuesday, June 6, 2023 Your daily briefing from FiveThirtyEight --------------------------------------------------------------- The Morning Story [Republican presidential candidates before a debate in 2016]( [Why Some Republican Candidates Might Not Make The Debate Stage]( By [Geoffrey Skelley]( Whether they’re generating news coverage or raising money (or, in recent years, [eyebrows]( debates are [a critical part]( of the presidential primary calendar. A great performance can help a lesser-known candidate gain ground in the polls and expand their fundraising reach, while a poor showing can mark the beginning of the end — [or the end, period]( — for someone’s presidential aspirations. But before candidates can make or break their campaigns, they need to get on the debate stage. On Friday, the Republican National Committee [released its debate qualification criteria]( for the party’s first debate on Aug. 23, 2023. The RNC’s guidelines, which establish candidate polling and fundraising thresholds, are pretty similar to Democratic National Committee’s [at the start of the 2020 cycle](. However, there are a few additional twists and specifications — most notably, the requirement that candidates pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee and the criteria for determining which polls count toward qualification — that could limit the field. To make the debate, the RNC will [require candidates to meet four separate requirements](. First, a contender must be a declared candidate who has filed with the Federal Election Commission. Second, a candidate must have earned 1 percent support in three national polls, or in two national polls and at least one poll of the [GOP’s first four states]( recognized by the RNC and conducted in July and August. Third, a candidate must have at least 40,000 unique contributors to their presidential campaign committee, with at least 200 from 20 states and/or territories. And lastly, a candidate must sign three documents: a pledge to support the GOP’s eventual nominee, a data-sharing agreement with the RNC and a pledge to not participate in any debates not sanctioned by the RNC. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly Listen [Play]( [Politics Podcast: The GOP Field Gets Crowded]( [FiveThirtyEight] [View in browser]( [ABC News]( [Unsubscribe]( Our mailing address: FiveThirtyEight, 47 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023.