Former Vice President Mike Pence's presidential bid appears to be struggling before it has properly begun as the Republican has yet to qualify for the first GOP primary debate.
Pence, who was former President Donald Trump's running mate in 2016 and 2020, has said that he'll meet the donor threshold needed to qualify for the debate. However, his polling numbers also remain relatively poor.
The Pence campaign's difficulties come as Trump remains the early frontrunner for the nomination but, despite being a former vice president, Pence is also lagging behind other candidates.
Vice presidents generally perform well in primaries. President Joe Biden served in the office before seeking the 2020 Democratic Party's presidential nomination, though he was not facing a former president seeking re-nomination.
To qualify for the first Republican presidential debate in August, Pence will need to have a minimum of 40,000 unique donors, including at least 200 unique donors each from 20 or more states or territories.
Pence will also need to poll at least 1 percent in three national polls. Alternatively, he has to have a minimum of 1 percent in two national polls and in early state polls from two of the following: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
Pence should have little difficulty meeting the polling requirement, but other Republican candidates who are polling less well than Pence have said they've met the donor threshold.
Newsweek has reached out to the Pence campaign via its website for comment.
"I'm very humbled by the support around the country, which is one of the criteria," Pence told CNN's Dana Bash on State of the Union on Monday. "But, yes, having 40,000 individual donors, we're literally working around the clock. Got about a month to go. I'm confident we will be there."
The former vice president added: "We're making incredible progress toward that goal. We're not there yet, but, Dana, I promise you, when we know, you will know."
"We're not offering kickbacks. We're not offering gift cards. We're not even offering soccer tickets," he said.
"We will make it. I will see you at that debate stage," Pence added.
Pence was referring to tactics used by some of his GOP opponents to raise donations, such as biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. He offered 10 percent commission to people who fundraise for him.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said he would raffle tickets to see soccer player Lionel Messi in Miami, while North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum offered $20 Mastercard or Visa gift cards for those donating at least $1.
Thomas Gift, founding director of University College London's Centre on U.S. Politics, told Newsweek on Tuesday that the former vice president's actions have limited his appeal to GOP voters.
"Pence's presidential bid was always a long shot because he never appealed to any particular constituency," Gift said.
"He's far too Trumpian for the never-Trumpers and not even close to Trumpian enough for the Trump diehards," he added.
"You can't spend four years as a MAGA lackey, and expect to appeal to moderates in the party. Nor can you refuse to back Trump on January 6, and expect the right-wing base to rally behind you," Gift said.
He was referring to Pence's refusal to challenge the Electoral College results on January 6, 2021, and his later criticism of Trump for encouraging him to do so.
The former vice president should have less difficulty meeting the polling requirements, though averages from poll tracker FiveThirtyEight show Pence behind Trump, Ramaswamy and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Pence had 6.3 percent support in the GOP primary as of Monday, according to FiveThirtyEight's figures, while Trump enjoyed 51 percent support, DeSantis had 18.9 percent, and Ramaswamy, 6.4 percent support.
Some candidates who are polling less well than Pence have said they have already met the donor threshold. They include Burgum, polling at 0.1 percent according to FiveThirtyEight, as well as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at 3.5 percent and Senator Tim Scott on 3.2 percent.
