Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has successfully qualified for the first Republican debate of the 2024 presidential campaign, according to his campaign team. The debate, set to take place on August 23 in Milwaukee, is only open to candidates who have received support from at least 40,000 individual donors. Initially, Pence appeared to be at risk of not making the debate, but his campaign announced on Monday that it had met the donor target. Although Pence is currently polling in single digits, far behind former President Donald Trump, who has stated his intention to skip the debate, his campaign remains optimistic. Spokesman Devin O'Malley expressed hope that Trump would have the courage to show up, while emphasizing Pence's readiness for a substantive debate. In addition to Pence and Trump, at least five other candidates, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are on track to qualify for the debate.

DeSantis, who is vying for the party's nomination alongside Trump, faces a critical moment in his campaign during the upcoming debate. Trump, who is leading the race by a significant margin, has indicated that he will not be attending the event. If Trump follows through on this decision, DeSantis is likely to become the target of attacks from other candidates seeking to position themselves as the primary alternative to Trump. One adviser to Nikki Haley, another contender for the nomination, suggested that the field would handle Trump cautiously and focus their criticism on DeSantis, who is expected to occupy a central position on the debate stage. DeSantis is already facing scrutiny over his campaign spending and readiness for the national stage. Recent polls show Trump with 47% of the Republican vote nationally, while DeSantis has dropped to just 13%. Despite these challenges, DeSantis has received support from hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, who has urged him to attract new major donors and adopt a more moderate approach.

The debate will also feature other candidates such as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Pence, who had struggled to meet the donor threshold, remains confident that he will ultimately qualify for the debate. Trump's potential absence poses a dilemma for his lesser-known rivals. They must decide whether to attack Trump in his absence, without the risk of retaliation, or to focus their efforts on the candidates present on the stage. With the exception of Christie and Pence, most candidates have refrained from directly criticizing Trump as he faces legal challenges. However, former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum believes that attacking Trump would be a strategic move, as it could potentially sway some of his supporters. Santorum suggests that the absence of Trump presents a unique opportunity for the candidates to make their case to a national audience without having to face the front-runner directly. Christie, known for his straightforwardness, has made it clear that he plans to target Trump regardless of his presence at the debate. He intends to focus on the ongoing legal cases against the former president and highlight how donors are financing Trump's legal fees. Christie, who famously took down Marco Rubio during a debate in the 2016 presidential race, is preparing for both scenarios involving Trump's participation, but acknowledges that most of the pressure will be on DeSantis to perform well.