Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel pushed back Tuesday against challenges from the GOP candidates who did not qualify for the first debate, defending the criteria set by the committee in June.

“I have nothing against all four of these candidates. They are far better than Joe Biden.” McDaniel said in an interview with Politico. “But the rules are the rules. We were very clear about it.”

“We applied them equally to every candidate,” she added. “And unfortunately, they fell short for this debate.”

After the RNC announced the eight GOP candidates who qualified for the debate stage in Milwaukee, businessman Perry Johnson and conservative radio host Larry Elder — who did not meet the criteria — said they are suing the committee.

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Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez also did not qualify.

In a statement Tuesday, Hurd criticized the RNC requirements, calling its polling standard “arbitrary, unclear” and lacking “consistency.”

“The lack of transparency and confusion around the RNC’s debate requirements is antithetical to the democratic process,” Hurd said, adding he would not “sign a blood oath” to former President Trump, who currently has a strong lead in the polls.

McDaniel pushed back on this argument, saying, “We put forth metrics that we felt would create good polling.”

In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Suarez said he consulted with the RNC last week and thought he was going to qualify for the polling requirement with two polls that had not yet been reported. He said his campaign learned Monday night a Cygnal poll would not be counted due to its affiliation with candidate Vivek Ramaswamy ’s campaign, noting he “respects the rules and process set forth by the RNC.”

“I don’t think many people woke up today surprised that these four candidates didn’t make the stage,” McDaniel said. “I hope they do well, but you got to say, ‘Well, maybe I shouldn’t have gotten in as late as I did. Maybe I should have gotten in earlier, I would have had a longer runaway to get the polling that I needed.'”

“It’s not easy when you have zero name ID to get 1 percent in three national polls,” she continued.

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To make the debate stage Wednesday night, candidates needed to meet polling and donor requirements set by the RNC and sign a loyalty pledge to vow support for the eventual Republican nominee in 2024.

The eight candidates who met these requirements are Ramaswamy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

While Trump appeared to meet the polling and donor requirements, he said several times he would not sign a loyalty pledge. The former president announced Sunday night he would not attend the debate.

Updated at 9:08 a.m.

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