Mike Pence digs heels in campaign despite not yet qualifying for third debate

Former Vice President Mike Pence appeared undeterred by his inability to qualify for the third GOP debate so far.

Pence appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday, still confident in his campaign for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination. He is facing off against 10 other candidates, with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy qualifying for the Republican National Committee’s debate for the third time.

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“We’re working really hard to qualify for the debate,” Pence said. “Lots of people are going to mikepence2024.com and making a contribution to give us the numbers in contributions that we need to qualify. But I will tell you, I don’t have the most money in this campaign, but I do have the most experience.”

The Republican National Committee has set the qualifications for the candidates, which include two polls that show at least 4% support and 700,000 individual contributions that reflect 200 from 20 states each. The next debate is slated for Nov. 8, roughly a year out from the general election in 2024.

Former Republican Texas Rep. William Hurd dropped out of the race after not qualifying for the second debate and has since endorsed Haley. Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas, also did not qualify for the second debate despite appearing for the first one.

Meanwhile, the front-runner and Pence’s former boss, Donald Trump, has plans to be in Florida on the night of the third Republican debate, but he will attend a rally instead. This will be his third time skipping a debate despite likely qualifying for it.

Pence went on to quote scripture during his interview, saying, “To whom much is given, much is required.”

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“We stepped forward out of the sense of duty, and it’s — it’s carrying that message, bringing that experience forward that gives us great confidence,” Pence said. “So, we’re going to continue to drive forward to this campaign and continue to marshal the support of people all across the country.”

While Pence stood out during the first debate with the most speaking time, he was second to last in speaking time during the second debate.