"Republican Debates: Pledge, Thresholds, and Network Battles"

The Republican National Committee is requiring presidential hopefuls to pledge to support the party's eventual nominee if they want to participate in the GOP's first primary debate in Milwaukee on Aug. 23. The pledge comes as a handful of Republican presidential hopefuls have hedged whether they would support former President Donald Trump if he wins the party's presidential nomination. Republican candidates will also need to meet broad polling requirements and raise money from a minimum of 40,000 unique donors, including 200 unique donors from at least 20 states and territories, according to the newly released RNC criteria.