Burgum announces he has met fundraising requirement for first GOP presidential primary debate

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said Wednesday that he's reached the 40,000 unique donors threshold to qualify for the Republican presidential primary debate stage in August.

The GOP governor, a wealthy former software executive who's been self-funding his campaign, has been offering $20 gift cards to 50,000 donors to try and reach the minimum needed to appear on the debate stage. The novel fundraising method has allowed Burgum to hit 40,000 donors ahead of other GOP rivals, including former Vice President Mike Pence and former Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

"We passed the 40,000 mark today. We've got more gift cards to give out. We're going to keep on going," Burgum told CNN's Manu Raju on "Inside Politics."

The governor said that he has received donations from all 50 states. He did not have a number of how gift cards his campaign gave out to donors.

He pushed back against criticism that he's buying his way onto the debate stage, saying, "I think that's funny actually."

"We know that the people who donate to us now may continue to donate cause what they see they're going to like, and they're going to continue to support us. This is about a smart strategy, it's about an entrepreneur with a business attitude," he added.

Still, Burgum has yet to reach the polling threshold needed to secure his spot on the debate stage.

To meet the Republican National Committee's polling requirement for inclusion in the first primary debate next month, candidates must receive 1% or more in three national polls or in two national polls and two state polls. Burgum has hit 1% in one state poll in New Hampshire and no national polls.

"Doug Burgum is well on his way to appearing on the debate stage after meeting the donor threshold and surging in New Hampshire," his campaign spokesman Lance Trover said in a statement.

On CNN, Burgum was also asked about former President Donald Trump's potential third indictment as part of the criminal investigation into the efforts to overturn the 2020 election and whether he holds Trump responsible for any of the violence that occurred on January 6, 2021.

"I think this is why we have a judicial system and everybody in America is innocent until proven guilty. But as I said, when you've got the leading opponent being attacked by the people sitting in power, of course people are going to feel like the whole thing is politicized. It's something the courts have to sort out," he said.

He would not say whether he'd support Trump as the Republican nominee if Trump is convicted of a crime.

"I'm running for president to be the nominee, so you're asking me to speculate. As governor of a sitting state when people ask me about hypotheticals, out 12 months and 18 months out, I never comment on those because I have to deal with the real solutions and the real problems going on right now. We're running a campaign. We expect to be the nominee and when we are the nominee, there won't be the distractions," he said.

So far, Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Gov. Chris Christie have met the donor threshold and they are each one state or national poll away from meeting the polling criteria.

Pence is also one poll away from meeting the polling criteria, but is still working to reach the donor threshold. Hutchinson, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, former Rep. Will Hurd and radio host Larry Elder have also not yet met either criteria to qualify for the August debate.

Hutchinson on Monday said that Burgum's tactic of offering $20 gift cards to people who donate at least $1 to his campaign "illustrates the ridiculousness" of the debate requirements.

"I don't think that's what campaigning for president of United States should be about. But that's where we are. And so I don't fault him. I think it's a great idea," he said, while teasing that his campaign will plan to give grassroots donors who bring in 100 donations a percentage raised.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated who has qualified for the August debate. No candidates have yet met the polling requirement.