Mike Pence, who is struggling with fundraising and might miss the debate cutoff, mocked rivals offering stunt kickbacks in exchange for donations
AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool
- Mike Pence said it's "challenging" to reach the Republican National Committee's debate stipulations.
- Some GOP presidential candidates are offering kickbacks in exchange for campaign donations to qualify for the debate.
- "We're just traveling," he said.
GOP presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence has struggled with fundraising and is still working to qualify for the debate stage. But even with his own troubles, on Tuesday morning he mocked his rival Republican candidates for offering kickbacks in exchange for donations.
"Getting 40,000 donors in just a few short weeks is a bit of a challenge," Pence told Fox News' Steve Doocey. "We're not offering gift cards, we're not offering kickbacks, we're not offering tickets to soccer games. We're just traveling."
Pence, who announced his run for office on June 5, recently announced his campaign has only raised $1.2 million. According to a New York Times report from July 14, he has still yet to qualify for the GOP presidential debate in August.
To qualify for the GOP presidential debate, the Republican National Committee stipulates that a candidate must "poll at least 1% in three national polls OR 1% in two national polls and 1% in one early state poll from two separate 'carve out' states."
Pence has already accomplished this polling feat, but he hasn't hit an equally difficult mark that's preventing him from making the debate stage: Candidates must also receive 40,000 unique donations with at least 200 unique donors in 20 or more states.
In an attempt to hit the 40,000 unique donor mark, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, an ultra-wealthy former Microsoft executive, recently announced his campaign would send $20 gift cards to anyone who donated $1 or more. Similarly, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is raffling off front-row tickets to international soccer superstar Lionel Messi's Major League Soccer debut in exchange for donations.