Chris Christie ‘confident’ he will get ‘golden ticket’ to fourth GOP debate

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he expects to receive a “golden ticket” to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for the fourth Republican National Committee debate despite reports that he hasn’t satisfied the necessary qualifications.

“I will be there on Wednesday. You can count on it,” Christie told Fox News’s Neil Cavuto on Monday.

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“They told you?” Cavuto asked.

The New Jersey governor explained the RNC won’t be informing candidates of who has qualified to take the stage until 8 p.m. “No one gets told who’s invited until 8 p.m. two days before. So tonight at 8 p.m., invitations will be extended, and I am confident I’ll be getting, as they would say on American Idol, the golden ticket to head to Tuscaloosa, Alabama,” he said.

In order to participate in the debate on Wednesday, Republican candidates are required to have 80,000 unique donors and poll at 6% in either two approved national polls or one national survey and two approved early state polls. Christie has one national poll under his belt, alongside one early state poll, but he lacks a second early state measure to satisfy the criteria, according to Politico.

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Those who have qualified, according to outlets tracking the debate requirements, include Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy. Former President Donald Trump has also qualified but will be skipping the event as he did with the last three.

The debate will be hosted by NewsNation on Wednesday night, and it will be moderated by SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly, NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas, and the Washington Free Beacon’s Eliana Johnson in Tuscaloosa from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.