Securing a spot could be a heavy lift for a group of long-shot candidates, for whom getting onstage or not will be a make-or-break moment.
Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor, acknowledged that he had a fraction of the 40,000 donors, though he had 1 percent in last week’s poll. Doug Burgum, North Dakota’s wealthy governor, is offering $20 gift cards to anyone who gives at least $1 to his campaign — a strategy that could raise legal concerns.
Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press; Matt Rourke, via Associated Press
