As the elections of 2024 draw closer, contenders are gearing up to seek maximum support from US citizens through debates starting with the first one which will be held among top Republican candidates Wednesday.
However, in the first Grand Old Party (GOD) debate, former US President Donald Trump decided not to take participate as he claimed his popularity was very high among Americans.
Here are some facts about the showdown:
Where will presidential debate take place?
The debate will take place at the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee Wednesday at 8pm local time and will be broadcast on Fox News.
Wisconsin, where Milwaukee is located, is one of the most politically competitive states in the nation, and both Democrats and Republicans will be fighting hard to win there in the 2024 presidential election.
Republicans are set to hold their national convention there in roughly 11 months, where they will formally nominate a challenger to take on Democratic President Joe Biden.
Who will be in the Republican debate?
All major Republican candidates will be present with one major exception: former President Donald Trump.
Trump, who is leading the field by 34 points according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, has opted to sit for an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson instead, a decision that has been attacked by his competitors.
To qualify, candidates need to have reached minimum thresholds in national or state-level polls and have received donations from at least 40,000 unique donors.
Among those that appear to have reached the threshold or are extremely close to doing so are Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, US Senator Tim Scott, former vice president Mike Pence, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson
The candidates are also required to sign a pledge certifying that they will support the eventual Republican nominee.
What questions will be asked?
While the set of questions the candidates will be asked is not publicly disclosed, Martha MacCallum, a Fox News host who will moderate the debate alongside colleague Bret Baier, indicated in an interview with Vanity Fair last week that abortion and Donald Trump’s criminal indictments will be on the table.
Both topics are tricky. While most Republicans favour strict abortion restrictions, many more moderate Republicans disagree, as do most independent voters, whose votes will be crucial in the general election.
On the issue of Trump’s indictments, most Republicans view the charges he faces as politically motivated, making the topic a fraught one for his rivals.
What is the importance of debates?
In some cases, during previous primary campaigns, poor performances have sunk candidacies, while strong performances have launched minor candidates into the top tier.
Moreover, the debate will draw millions of viewers, many of whom will be tuning into the election for the first time, campaign strategists say.
The first debate generally marks the start of a more intense stage of the campaign in the months before the first nominating contest, in Iowa.
The debate could be particularly crucial for Ron DeSantis, who is second in the polls behind Donald Trump, but whose standing has slid throughout the summer.
Allies say the debate could be a crucial inflection point if he performs well. If he performs poorly, he could sink back into the pack.
What is the number of debates?
So far, there are two scheduled, with the next taking place in southern California in September.
Several more are likely to take place, however, with an October debate likely to occur in Alabama, according to a person familiar with the operations of the Republican National Committee.
