Hutchinson says he has 5,000 of 40,000 donors needed to qualify for GOP debates

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has about 5,000 of the 40,000 donors needed to reach the debate stage in August, the GOP presidential candidate said Thursday.

“We're about 5,000, so we got more work to do. We got time to do it,” Hutchinson told radio host Hugh Hewitt when pressed about his donor numbers.

Hutchinson has previously criticized the Republican National Committee’s requirements for candidates to qualify for debates: garnering donations from at least 40,000 national contributors and polling consistently above 1 percent in three national polls or two national polls and a state poll. A mild-mannered candidate, the former governor explained that it might take “explosive rhetoric” that “gets people excited” or millions of dollars to garner those donors.

“This bothers me that the RNC has set this artificial line that you've got to cross in order to qualify for the debate,” he said. “We ought to be more expansive rather than restrictive.”

Hutchinson, a longshot candidate currently polling at 1.3%, still has until Aug. 23 to meet the deadline. He has positioned himself as a moderate in a crowded, qualified GOP candidate pool, vocally opposing former President Donald Trump amid his slew of investigations and legal woes.

When asked if he would support Trump if he wins the party nomination, Hutchinson doubled down.

“I don't expect him to be the nominee,” Hutchinson said, despite Trump being the frontrunner. “I do not believe he's the right one to lead our country, and we're going to have a massive loss if he is our nominee.”