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Do Republican presidential candidates participating in the Milwaukee debate have to pledge not to participate in debates the GOP doesn't sanction?

By Tom Kertscher
YES

Republican 2024 presidential candidates seeking to participate in the Milwaukee debate must pledge not to take part in any debate during the 2024 election cycle that is not sanctioned by the GOP.

The Milwaukee debate, the first for Republican presidential contenders, is scheduled for Aug. 23, 2023.

To participate, candidates must meet several requirements, including having 40,000 unique donors to their campaign and earning a minimum amount of support in polls. The candidates must also make several pledges, including to support the eventual Republican nominee.

In August 2022, the Republican National Committee quit the Commission on Presidential Debates, demanding a debate be held before early voting starts and prohibiting moderators who previously worked for a candidate.

The commission was established jointly by the Democratic and Republican parties in 1987 to ensure debates between the leading general election presidential candidates. The commission sponsored all presidential debates between 1988 and 2020.

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