It’s debate day: What to know before SC’s Scott, Haley take the stage with GOP contenders
Two South Carolinians are among the eight Republican presidential candidates who will meet for the first time on the debate stage Wednesday night to talk everything 2024, attempt to out-maneuver one another and — most of all — win over Republican voters.
Here’s when, how and where to watch, and what to expect.
The debate, hosted by Fox News, will begin at 9 p.m. Wednesday and will run for two hours.
In order to appear onstage in Milwaukee, candidates had to have committed 48 hours before the debate started, which was Monday at 9 p.m.
Former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley; U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, of South Carolina; entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum; former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson; and former Vice President Mike Pence have all qualified and affirmed they would be in attendance.
Former President Donald Trump qualified but opted instead to do a one-on-one interview with former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, which was already recorded as a counter program to the Wednesday night debate, according to a report by NBC News.
In order to qualify for the event, candidates had to have a minimum of 40,000 donors, with 200 in 20 or more states, and poll at least 1% in three high-quality national polls or a mix of national and early-state polls between July 1 and Monday, according to requirements set by the Republican National Committee.
It’s still uncertain what exactly will be asked of candidates and whether they will get the same questions. But the moderators, Fox’s Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier, will ask some questions that involve video, including pre-taped questions submitted by students through Young America’s Foundation, a conservative student group, Fox told The State reporters.
Candidates will not make opening statements, Fox said. They will have one minute to answer a question, 30 seconds for follow-ups and 45 seconds for a closing statement.
While Trump won’t be in attendance, his presence sure will be.
Before it was announced that Trump wasn’t attending, Baier told Politico, “If he’s not there, he’ll still be there.”
“In other words, he’ll be a part of questioning,” Baier said, according to a Politico report. “There may be sound bites, there may be elements where ‘this is what the leader of the primary says about this issue.’ He’ll be there, even if he’s not there.”
Baier went on to tell Politico that they will talk about subjects as “buckets of questions,” and those wouldn’t change much if Trump was or wasn’t there.
MacCallum said the goal will be to “jump right in” and “get right to the news of the day.”
You can watch the debate on Fox Business Network, Fox News Digital, the Fox Nation streaming service or Fox News Audio. The Republican National Committee also plans to livestream the event online on Rumble.
This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 5:30 AM.