A culling of the field is underway in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race.
With the thresholds to qualify for the next GOP presidential debate rising, crucial fundraising reports from the campaigns due in the coming days, and facing upcoming filing deadlines for the first two primaries, the still relatively-large field of Republican White House hopefuls may be further slashed in the weeks to come.
Former Rep. Will Hurd, facing a steep climb for the Republican nomination, ended his bid on Monday.
“It has become clear to me and my team that the time has come to suspend our campaign,” the former CIA spy turned three-term congressman from Texas said in a statement.
WILL HURD ENDORSED THIS RIVAL AS HE DROPPED OUT OF THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Hurd, who fell short of qualifying for the first two GOP nomination debates, became he second Republican presidential candidate to drop out of the race. Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami, Florida called it quits in August after failing to qualify for the first showdown.
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So who could be next?
All eyes are on two other long-shot contenders who, like Hurd, were unsuccessful in making the first two debates — Larry Elder and Perry Johnson.
Elder, a former nationally syndicated radio host and 2021 California gubernatorial recall election candidate, is no longer at the statehouse in Concord, New Hampshire, to file paperwork to appear on the ballot in the first-in-the-nation primary.
And Elder is also no longer on the New Hampshire GOP’s schedule to speak Friday at the First in the Nation Leadership Summit, which is a major Republican presidential cattle call in the state that holds the second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar.
But Elder’s campaign manager told Fox News Digital that “he’s still in.”
Elder, asked by Fox News if he’s still a White House contender, responded that “Yes, I am still a candidate for president.” He said that “clearly, the way the RNC [Republican National Committee] shafted me-by preventing me from participating in the first debate despite my meeting their criteria-has hurt my campaign.”
He pledged to “remain committed to campaigning on several issues.”
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Johnson, a business leader and quality control industry expert, is now mulling a pivot to run for the open Senate seat in his home state of Michigan.
“Obviously, it’s no secret that I’ve had a lot of calls to run for this seat because they do want to win this seat. But at this point in time, my focus is right on the presidential [race], and, believe me, that’s taking all my time and energy at this point,” Johnson told Fox News Digital earlier this month.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the only one of the eight candidates on the stage at the first debate in August who failed to qualify for last month’s second showdown, is back campaigning in New Hampshire this week.
His campaign told Fox News that he would file on Wednesday morning to place his name on the state’s presidential primary ballot.
But Hutchinson has said if he fails to make the stage at the third GOP presidential nomination debate, he’ll consider dropping out.
“If I don’t make that, we’ll re-evaluate where we are,” Hutchinson told reporters two weeks ago, as he referred to the third debate, which will be held Nov. 8 in Miami, Florida.
When asked for clarification if his response meant he would consider dropping out, Hutchinson answered, “Sure.”
Besides the RNC’s rising debate thresholds to make the stage at the next showdown, the candidates also face upcoming filing deadlines. They have until Oct. 27 to place their names on the ballot in New Hampshire, and face an Oct. 31 deadline in South Carolina, which holds the fourth contest — and first southern primary in the GOP nominating calendar.
The candidates also must file their July-September third quarter of fundraising figures with the Federal Election Commission by Oct. 15.
A lackluster fundraising report could be the death knell for some of the candidates struggling to make the debate stage.
“The third quarter report is incredibly important for all the campaigns, but certainly those who are struggling to break out right now and garner attention, this will be the last financial indicator we see until very close to Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary for these campaigns,” longtime New Hampshire based Republican consultant Jim Merrill told Fox News.
Merrill, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, said that “whether it’s making the next debate stage or just evidence in grassroots momentum for the campaign, it’s going to be really important for these campaigns to show that they not only have strong numbers of cash on hand, but also grassroots support for a growing national audience.”
Alex Castellanos, a GOP strategist with decades of experience, also pointed to the fundraising reports and predicted that some of the candidates will “soon run out of gas as they try to drive to the next debate in Miami.”
Fox News’ Andrew Murray contributed to this report
