The Republican National Committee (RNC) criterion demands that they attain a minimum of 1% support in three reputable national polls and attain a minimum of 40,000 donors, with at least 200 donors from 20 states.
The front-runner in the race and former US president, Trump exceeds both the polling and donor requirements. However, he indicated that he might boycott the debate and host a rival event instead.
US ambassador to the United Nations under Trump's presidency, Nikki might challenge him in 2024. The sole female candidate in the race, she raised the issue of trans students participating in sports and claimed it to be "the women's issue of our time." She was praised by an anti-abortion group for communicating from a pro-life woman's perspective.
A biotech entrepreneur and author, Vivek, despite being lesser known, met the donor criteria and has entered the race.
The former governor of New Jersey, Chris has positioned himself as a strong challenger to Trump. He called on the former president to "show up at the debates and defend his crowd."
Florida governor DeSantis is Trump's top rival. He has met the polling and fundraising requirements, but his campaign recently faced challenges regarding staff departures and finance. If Trump doesn't make an appearance, then DeSantis will be the top target of rivals.
South Carolina Senator Scott entered the race with $21 million cash on hand, joining Trump and DeSantis in reaching double digits.
North Dakota governor and a wealthy former software entrepreneur, Burgum announced that he had surpassed the donor threshold.
Trump's former vice president recently announced that he had met the requirements. He is also the first candidate to formally submit his donor count to the RNC for certification.