Ron DeSantis pledged to support the eventual Republican nominee for president. The Florida governor signed the Republican National Committee's (RNC) pledge of allegiance, which happens to be one of the requirements to participate in the first debate scheduled for August 23. Donald Trump (who has not confirmed his presence), Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Doug Burgum, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy and Mike Pence will join him on stage.
So far, only DeSantis and Ramaswamy have pledged their support for whoever prevails in the primaries and ends up becoming the Republican presidential nominee. According to reports, this will not affect DeSantis' participation in the expected debate against California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
The Republican campaign proudly posted the news on social networks, attaching a photo of what was signed by their candidate. "I affirm that if I do not win in the 2024 Republican nomination for President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden," begins the document, which features the governor's signature in blue.
See you in Milwaukee! pic.twitter.com/zFeGjrtLph
— Team DeSantis (@TeamDeSantis) August 9, 2023
"I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate, nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party," the pledge concluded.
DeSantis is looking forward to the debate to make up lost ground. From 30% voting intention in January, the Florida governor is witnessing a plunge in his numbers that began when he launched his presidential campaign in a Twitter Space, now known as X.
However, in the campaign, there is optimism about a "rebirth" of their candidate. "I am confident that Governor DeSantis will exceed expectations and inform large audiences about his incredible life, his political record and his winning agenda for the presidency," Steve Cortes, chief spokesman for the Never Back Down super PAC, recently expressed.
"All of us on the DeSantis team remain convinced that the governor has a solid path to the nomination and the best chance any Republican has of defeating Biden in the general election," he added.
Requirements to participate in the first Republican debate
To participate, the candidates must commit to supporting the eventual Republican nominee, something Trump has not taken to positively. In addition, they must meet donations from at least 40,000 domestic taxpayers. The candidate must consistently obtain more than 1% in three national polls or two national polls and one state while having "at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in more than 20 states and territories." Finally, they may not participate in any external debates.
The deadline to comply with the requirements will be August 21, just 48 hours before the debate. As to which polls will be valid, only those after June 1 will be counted.
