Everything you need to know about tonight’s Republican primary debate
Eight Republican presidential candidates will get the chance to test their mettle during tonight’s first 2024 primary debate. Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
When and where is the debate?
The two-hour debate will take place at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., starting at 9 p.m. ET. A “Countdown to the Debate” program will air on Fox News at 8:30 p.m. ET, hosted by Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer.
How can I watch it?
Fox News Channel will host the debate. It will simultaneously be broadcast on Fox Business Network, FoxNews.com, Fox Nation and Rumble.
Who is moderating?
Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier and “The Story” host Martha MacCallum will question the candidates.
Which candidates will be there?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will attend.
The Republican National Committee confirmed Monday that all eight GOP presidential hopefuls had qualified and will be situated based on their polling numbers, with candidates with the most support placed center stage.
That means the contenders will line up from left to right as follows when viewed from the audience: Hutchinson, Christie, Pence, DeSantis, Ramaswamy, Haley, Scott and Burgum.
What about Trump?
Front-runner and former President Donald Trump announced Sunday night that he would not attend the debate, citing his “legendary” lead in the 2024 contest. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson will air a pre-recorded interview with Trump during the debate on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Several Trump surrogates — including Donald Trump Jr. and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) — have said they will attend.
However, only candidates who participate in the debate may bring surrogates into the post-event “spin room,” unless they are guests of media organizations.
How did the candidates qualify?
The RNC required candidates to have at least 40,000 unique individual donors to their campaign — and at least 200 unique donors from each of 20 different states and territories — and to pull at least 1% support in three national polls or two national polls and two polls from one of four early voting states: Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
It also asked the would-be nominees to sign a pledge committing to only attend party-sanctioned debates and support the eventual GOP nominee.
Which candidates did not qualify?
Miami Mayor Frances Suarez, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, conservative radio host Larry Elder and Michigan businessman Perry Johnson did not qualify for the debate.
Suarez, Elder and Johnson announced days before the event that their campaigns had met donor and polling thresholds, but they apparently relied on polls that did not meet the RNC requirements.
Elder and Johnson said Tuesday they would sue the RNC over what they called a “rigged” process.
Hurd criticized the RNC for a “lack of transparency and confusion” around the debate criteria, saying he promised to “not sign a blood oath to Donald Trump” in order to be a candidate.
Two other declared candidates — Texas businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley and former Cranston, RI, Mayor Steve Laffey — also did not meet the RNC requirements.
