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https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rnc-debate-rules_n_647a532ae4b091b09c32a9b9
GOP Candidates Must Have 40,000 Donors And Poll At 1% To Make First Debate Stage

Republican presidential candidates hoping to participate in the season’s first primary debate on Aug. 23 will need to prove that they have 40,000 individual donors, with at least 200 from 20 different states or territories, while also polling at least at 1% and promising to support the party’s eventual nominee.
The Republican National Committee on Friday announced the criteria for the Milwaukee event, formalizing the rules that candidates and others have known were coming together for weeks.

“The RNC is committed to putting on a fair, neutral, and transparent primary process and the qualifying criteria set forth will put our party and eventual nominee in the best position to take back the White House come November 2024,” Ronna McDaniel, the committee chair, said in a statement.
The GOP will stage a second debate on Aug. 24 if there are too many qualifying candidates to appear on a single stage, although the party would not say what the limit would be. Nor would it specify on what basis the candidates would be split between the two nights.
Republicans had 17 candidates run in 2016 and early on held two debates, one after the other, with the event for lower-polling candidates earning the “kids table” designation.

The requirement for a significant number of small donors reflects the work that the party must to do to catch up with Democrats, with many GOP candidates substantially outraised by their opponents in key 2022 midterm races. But the threshold could prove a hurdle for lesser-known candidates, especially those who get in late.