Mike Pence qualifies for first GOP presidential debate, joining Trump, DeSantis, Haley and others

Former Vice President Mike Pence has qualified for the first Republican presidential primary debate set for later this month, his White House campaign said Tuesday.

But it's unclear if Pence will get a chance to debate face to face against his former boss, Donald Trump, who has suggested he will skip the forum since he already holds a commanding lead in the polls. The first debate is set for Aug. 23 in Milwaukee.

Pence hit the Republican National Committee's 40,000-donor threshold, securing contributions from at least 200 unique donors in 40 states, according to his campaign. That exceeds the RNC's criteria for the debate — which requires candidates to net at least 200 donors from 20 or more states — putting Pence on track to qualify for the second debate, his campaign said.

Pence's campaign also said it is the first to submit its donor count verification to the RNC.

Pence joins at least half a dozen other candidates who have already clinched spots on the debate stage, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The Pence campaign noted that the former vice president passed the RNC's threshold after nine weeks on the campaign trail — a shorter timeframe than Haley, who hit the donor mark in 21 weeks, or Scott, who did it in 13 weeks.

"Mike Pence made quick and easy work of the donor threshold and he's looking forward to a substantive debate about the issues important to the American people," Pence spokesman Devin O'Malley said in a statement.

"Hopefully, former President Trump has the courage to show up," O'Malley said.

Pence isn't the only one pushing Trump to participate in the debate. Christie, the former president's most aggressive Republican critic in the primary field, has put himself forward as the most capable candidate to rip Trump apart in a rhetorical knife fight.

"That's the only thing that's going to defeat Donald Trump," Christie said in March.

But Trump has repeatedly signaled he is leaning against it. "Why would you let somebody that's at zero, or one or two or three [in the polls] be popping you with questions?" Trump said in a recent interview.

Political strategists have said it makes little sense for Trump to expose himself to all manner of attacks from his challengers on his policy record, his myriad controversies and his numerous pending criminal matters.

The absence of Trump, a media magnet and ratings booster, could also undermine other candidates' efforts to make an impact on the Republican primary electorate.

For lower-polling candidates — a bucket that could include everyone except for Trump and DeSantis — a breakout debate performance could be critical. And some are pulling out all the stops to make sure they get their chance on the stage.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum had promised $20 gift cards to up to 50,000 people who donated at least $1 to his White House bid. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez's campaign raffled off Lionel Messi tickets. Both men said they have hit the donor qualification.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said last week that his campaign is "close to halfway" toward the donor threshold.