Revealed: The criteria for the second Republican primary debate

The Republican National Committee is upping the thresholds significantly for presidential candidates seeking to qualify for the party’s second sanctioned debate next month, according to new criteria set to be released on Tuesday.

The move could alter the contours of the primary, potentially winnowing down the number of candidates who will be able to appear onstage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 27.

According to a person familiar with the plans, candidates will need to hit at least 3 percent in two national polls, or 3 percent in one national poll and 3 percent in two polls conducted from separate early nominating states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada), in order to qualify.

The polling threshold is higher than the first debate, for which a candidate will need 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, in order to qualify.

For the second debate, the polls the RNC will count must meet the same criteria as for the first debate: conducted with large sample sizes and by firms that are not affiliated with any of the candidates.

Additionally, the committee has raised the benchmark for the number of donors each candidate must have in order to get on the stage for the second debate. Candidates must have a total of at least 50,000 unique donors, with at least 200 unique donors from at least 20 states or territories. The threshold must be reached no later than 48 hours before the debate.

That criteria eclipses the thresholds candidates have to meet to qualify for the first debate, for which they must have 40,000 unique donors with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories.

As in the first debate, candidates must have signed several pledges, including one to support the eventual Republican Party nominee, and another to not participate in any non-RNC-sanctioned debates.

According to a POLITICO analysis, the candidates who have so far qualified to appear in the first debate — to be held Aug. 23 in Milwaukee — are 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.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson have so far met the polling threshold for the first debate, but not the fundraising threshold.

The media partner for the second debate has not yet been announced. The first debate will be broadcast on Fox News Channel.