EIGHT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO DEBATE TONIGHT, BUT TRUMP REFUSES TO PARTICIPATE

Update August 24:  Missed the debate? View the video.  Watch for analysis to be posted soon.

East County News Service

August 23, 2023 (San Diego) –At 6 p.m. Pacific Standard Time,  Fox News will broadcast the first debate among  Republican presidential primary candidates, though former  President Donald Trump will not be participating.

The eight candidates who qualified for tonight’s debate in Milwaukee are, in alphabetical order:

1. Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota
2. Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey
3. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida
4. Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the U.N. and former governor of South Carolina
5. Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas
6. Mike Pence, the former vice president and a former Indiana congressman
7. Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur
8. Tim Scott, U.S. senator from South Carolina

Photo,  top left to lower right:  Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence,  Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott.

To qualify, candidates had to meet requirements set by the Republican National Committee. Those requirements are: garner at least 1% support in either three national polls or two national and one state poll, get donations from 40,000 individuals, and sign a pledge agreeing to support the Republican nominee.

Conservative radio host Larry Elder of California claims he met the  RNC’s qualifications and has indicated he plans to sue the RNC over being kept off the debate  stage.

Former President Donald Trump refused to sign the pledge to support whoever wins the GOP nomination and he won’t be participating in the debate. Trump has said he will instead be interviewed tonight by fired former Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson. 

Though Trump will be absent, he’ll no doubt be a topic of contention among his competitors. Trump has been indicted on 91 criminal counts in four states and has said he will surrender for arrest in Georgia tomorrow.

Most of his opponents have declined to criticize Trump over his accused criminal actions (including allegedly organizing a plot to overthrow the 2020 election, keeping classified documents and destroying video evidence, conspiring to pressure state election officials to violate the law, and paying hush money to a porn star).  But some, notably former prosecutor, have sharply criticized Trump’s actions as clearly criminal and said he is unfit to serve as president again.  Hutchinson has called on Trump to withdraw from the race.

Other debate topics will likely include criticisms of President Joe Biden’s record on issues such as inflation, as well as discussion of social issues, the economy, immigration, and other core conservative topics.

Since the primary debate targets Republican voters and moderators are from the  conservative Fox Network, viewers won’t hear anyone praising achievements of the Biden administration (such as job growth)  nor any candidates likely to criticize the GOP’s increasingly extreme stances on issues such as banning abortion nationally  in all or nearly all circumstances (which all of these candidates support).

The Democratic Party will not be holding any debates, instead standing behind Biden for reelection.

The Republican candidates’ debate will be moderated by Fox News anchors Brett Baier and Martha McCallum, aired and streamed on Fox News and Fox Business.

California will hold its presidential primary election in  March 2024.