'I will not sign a blood oath to Donald Trump.' Will Hurd excluded from 1st GOP debate
Former Texas congressman Will Hurd is disappointed he was excluded from the first GOP presidential candidates debate on Wednesday, but vowed that he will keep on running in his longshot bid for the White House.
The first 2023 GOP presidential debate will be at 7 p.m. MT Wednesday, Aug. 23, live from Milwaukee on the Fox News Channel.
Hurd, who represented a portion of El Paso County while in Congress, wasn't invited to the debate because he didn't meet the minimum polling standards. He countered that the Republican National Committee isn't tallying state polls that show he meets the requirements.
"The lack of transparency and confusion around the RNC's debate requirements is antithetical to the democratic process," Hurd said Tuesday in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. "The polling standards are arbitrary, unclear, and lack consistency. This is an unacceptable process for a presidential election. The American people deserve better."
While in Congress, Hurd represented Texas' 23rd District, which stretches from the eastern edges of El Paso County to San Antonio along with more than 800 miles of the Texas-Mexico border. In 2020, Hurd didn't seek reelection in the vast district now represented by Republican Tony Gonzales.
Last week before visiting the Iowa State Fair, Hurd said that he had met the donor requirement to participate in the debate, having successfully collected at least 40,000 unique donors to his campaign and criticized the polling requirements, the Des Moines Register reported.
Polling standards should included "likely Republican voters," including Democrats willing to vote for a Republican, if the GOP hopes to grow and expand its support, Hurd said.
During his time in Congress, Hurd was known for a civil, bipartisan approach to politics. He is a former CIA officer from Helotes, a suburb northwest of San Antonio.
Hurd has campaigned on a clear and consistent message saying that if Donald Trump becomes the GOP's candidate for president that Trump will lose to President Joe Biden, again.
More: Former Texas congressman Will Hurd announces 2024 Republican presidential campaign
"I have said from day one of my candidacy that I will not sign a blood oath to Donald Trump," Hurd stated on X.
"The biggest difference between me and every single candidate who will be on the debate stage in Milwaukee is that I have never bent the knee to Trump. It's disappointing being kept off the debate stage, but I will not be deterred. The stakes are too high."