This guide will help you understand the first Republican primary debate

Details of the first Republican presidential primary debate are here.

The highly anticipated debate is set to take place Aug. 23 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention will be held in 2024.

Fox News, which will host the event, outlined the specifics on Tuesday. Here’s what to know.

Who is moderating the first Republican presidential primary debate?

Fox anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will moderate the event.

Baier, the network’s chief political anchor and host of its 6 p.m. show, “Special Report with Bret Baier," joined Fox in 1998, working for the channel’s Atlanta bureau. Baier is no stranger to debate coverage — the anchor has moderated multiple debates between senators, including a policy-focused face-off between Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and a battle betweenSen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Baier recently went head to head with former President Donald Trump, pressing the GOP presidential front-runner over his recent indictment.

MacCallum, who joined Fox in 2004, is the host of the daytime show “The Story with Martha MacCallum.” She co-anchored Fox’s 2022 midterm election coverage and moderated a debate between Ohio Senate candidates J.D. Vance and Tim Ryan alongside Baier.

“We are extremely proud to have Bret and Martha moderating the first debate of the 2024 presidential election season as Americans learn more about the candidates ahead of exercising their constitutional right to vote,” Fox News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace said in a statement.

Where can I watch the debate?

The debate will be broadcast exclusively on Fox News Channel. Fox Business Network will also simulcast the entire debate, and viewers will be able to livestream the debate at FoxNews.com. Fox Nation will offer a livestream of the debate for platform subscribers, according to the network.

What time is the debate?

The debate will take place from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Aug. 23.

Which candidates will be on the debate stage?

TBD. All GOP candidates have to meet the Republican National Committee’s strict requirements to earn a seat on the stage come August.

Anyone who wants to debate will have to garner donations from at least 40,000 national contributors and poll consistently above 1 percent in three national polls or two national polls and a state poll.

Candidates will also have to secure donations “with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories.”

Those requirements may be tricky for some of the long-shot candidates. But even those who have already notched those achievements will have to comply with the RNC’s most controversial requirement: a pledge to support the Republican presidential nominee, whoever that may be.

Two candidates — former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson — have implored the RNC to waive that requirement, in light of Trump’s recent federal indictment, which the pair have said make him unfit to be the party’s nominee.

And whether Trump himself will commit to the pledge remains to be seen. Earlier this year, he refused to say whether he would back the nominee if it wasn’t him.

The candidates will have until Aug. 21 — 48 hours before the debate — to meet the criteria. Polls conducted prior to July 1 won’t count toward qualification, which means candidates have just days to hit that requirement.

Will there be a second debate?

It’s possible. With a crowded GOP field — and still a possibility that it could grow — the RNC said earlier this month that there could be two debates, with a second to come on Aug. 24. But Fox didn’t say anything about plans for a possible day two in the announcement Tuesday.

----------------------------------------

By: Kelly Garrity
Title: Your guide to the first Republican presidential primary debate
Sourced From: www.politico.com/news/2023/06/20/guide-republican-presidential-primary-debate-00102702
Published Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2023 13:58:47 EST

Read More