Asa Hutchinson to miss second Republican presidential primary debate

Of note: Republican presidential front-runner former President Trump, who skipped the previous debate and announced he didn't plan to attend the second one, is not listed as being among the candidates to have met the RNC's criteria for qualifying.

• He has previously vowed not to sign the loyalty pledge to support the eventual Republican presidential nominee.

What they're saying: Hutchinson said in an online post that despite "falling short of the RNC's polling requirement" for the California debate, he'll continue to campaign and that he entered the race because it's "critically important" for a Republican leader to "stand up" to Trump and "call him out on misleading his supporters" and the American people.

• "I understand that the RNC and the media are trying to reduce the number of candidates, but I measure success based on the response I receive in early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire," he said.

• "My goal is to increase my polling numbers to 4% in an early state before Thanksgiving. If that goal is met, then I remain competitive and in contention for either Caucus Day or Primary Day."

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.