It’s set to kick the GOP primary off in earnest later this month.
On August 23, the Republican primary will get underway in earnest as the party holds its first official presidential debate.
Poised to be a crowded affair, the debate will be a chance for candidates to try to cut into former President Donald Trump’s hefty lead — and to differentiate themselves from a packed field. Thus far, eight candidates appear to have qualified for the event, which is a prime opportunity to gin up donations and voter interest.
It’s still unclear if Trump will attend the debate given the polling advantage he’s had up until now. Multiple others, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, however, are likely to seize this platform to both raise their profiles and attempt to undercut Trump.
“The biggest open question right now with this debate is does Donald Trump even show up and is there even a reason for Donald Trump to show up?” says Gunner Ramer, the political director of the Republican Accountability Project, an anti-Trump GOP group that’s not affiliated with any candidates.
Below is everything we know about the debate so far. When is the first Republican debate?
The debate will take place on Wednesday, August 23, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and go from 8 to 10 pm local time. It will air on Fox News and be livestreamed on FoxNews.com. Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, two longtime anchors with the network, will moderate. What are the criteria to make the debate stage?
There are two key hurdles candidates have to clear on donations and polling in order to qualify for the debate stage. First, candidates need to have a total of 40,000 unique donors, including at least 200 unique donors in 20 states or territories. Secondly, they have to hit at least 1 percent support in three national polls or 1 percent support in two national polls and 1 percent support in two early state polls.
