Michigan’s Perry Johnson, the longshot presidential candidate known for making a fortune doing quality control in the auto industry, will not be in the first GOP debate of the 2024 election.
Johnson, the Republican National Committee announced Monday night, did not earn the minimum support in enough polls to claim a spot on Wednesday night’s stage in Milwaukee. He was able to meet the number of donors required, however, by offering $10 gas cards this summer in exchange for $1 donations.
“The debate process has been corrupted, plain and simple,” Johnson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Our campaign hit every metric put forward by the RNC and we have qualified for the debate.”
He added that he plans to be in Milwaukee on Wednesday will share additional information later on Tuesday.
Larry Elder, a conservative media personality, also said he plans to sue the RNC to stop the debate process after not being invited.
The eight candidates who will debate are:
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
- Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
- Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley
- Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson
- Former Vice President Mike Pence
- Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy
- South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott
Ex-President Donald Trump also qualified but declined the invitation. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson plans to post an interview with Trump on X during the debate, according to The New York Times.
On Thursday, Trump plans to turn himself in at an Atlanta courthouse on charges he sought to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.
Read more: Trump to surrender Thursday in Georgia: Bond set at $200,000; mugshot expected
To qualify for the debate, the RNC required candidates to amass 40,000 donors (with 200 unique donors in 20 different states). They also had to poll at 1% in three national polls or 1% in two national polls and 1% in two early state polls (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina).
And those polls had certain requirements for number of respondents and methods of polling.
Multiple media outlets were tracking poll results and donation figures to gauge who could qualify for the debate. Politico, for example, had Johnson at 1% in four qualifying polls, but the RNC only accepted three in the end. Johnson had declared last Friday that he qualified for the debate.
The 75-year-old has been stuck at the bottom of the crowded GOP field in polls since announcing his candidacy in March. The race has been dominated by Trump, the far-and-away frontrunner currently polling around 40 points ahead of second-place DeSantis.
Related: Fifteen months out, Trump vs. Biden is again ultra-competitive in Michigan
Johnson, a self-described “quality guru” who made millions as a consultant on quality control standards, has so far loaned his presidential campaign more than $8 million.
His campaign platform is built around a “Two Cents to Save America” plan, which would slash two cents from every dollar of federal discretionary spending to cut inflation and debt.
Johnson spent more than $7 million of his own money on a run for Michigan governor last year only to be disqualified before the primary election after signature collectors his campaign and other campaigns hired presented fraudulent signatures.
The debate runs from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday and will air on Fox News and Rumble.com.
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