The Republican National Committee revealed on Monday evening that eight Republicans have met the criteria to participate in the initial presidential primary debate for the 2024 election cycle.
TIMELAPSE: Fiserv Forum is gearing up for the Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/G6jgTdCzg1
— Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin (@SpectrumNews1WI) August 20, 2023
Scheduled for Wednesday night, the lineup mentions notable figures such as:
- North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum
- Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
- Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
- Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson
- Former Vice President Mike Pence
- Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
- South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
How To Watch
Fox News will broadcast solely on its channel. The debate is set to take place on August 23 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 9 – 11 p.m. ET.
Meet The Debate Moderators
The debate will be co-moderated by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Participation Requirements
In order to secure a spot on the inaugural debate stage, candidates had to meet certain criteria outlined by the RNC. This included obtaining a minimum of 40,000 individual donors and achieving at least 1% support in three national polls. Alternatively, candidates can gain traction in two national polls and two polls from early states that adhered to the RNC’s guidelines. Additionally, candidates were mandated to commit to endorsing the eventual victor of the GOP primary, regardless of the candidate’s identity.
DEMOCRACY '24: Watch the first Republican presidential primary debate of the 2024 election on August 23rd starting at 9PM ET only on Fox News Channel. pic.twitter.com/NH1DkMrVli
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 21, 2023
On Sunday, former President Donald Trump formally announced his decision to abstain from participating in the initial debate. In a statement on his social media platform, Trump reiterated, “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
Currently, his spokesperson has not provided immediate clarification regarding whether he intends to avoid all primary debates or solely those that are presently on the schedule.
