South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott plans to sign the loyalty pledge vowing to support the party’s eventual nominee, Axios has learned, which would make him the fifth candidate to do so and meet the debate qualifications.
Why it matters: The pledge has drawn criticism from some Republican candidates hesitant to back frontrunner former President Trump, who himself said this week that he would not sign the pledge.
Driving the news: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum have all already signed the pledge and Scott plans to sign it, per a spokesperson for the campaign.
- An adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence said that he will meet all the debate requirements, including signing the pledge.
- The pledge is the last hurdle to qualify for the Aug. 23 debate, which also had donor and polling thresholds set by the Republican National Committee.
