2023-08-24 01:19:11
The first Republican debate has arrived, bringing Republican hopefuls to the Midwest as they square off for the first time ahead of the 2024 election.
The Republican candidates are scheduled to take the stage Wednesday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee for the first of three currently scheduled debates.
Early GOP primary voters will weigh in on the nomination when Iowa holds its caucus on January 15, followed by other early states in February. The eventual nominee is expected to face President Joe Biden in November.
With less than five months to go before the Iowa caucuses kick-start the GOP presidential nomination process, the debate is a critical opportunity for the lowest-voted candidates to present themselves to millions of voters, many of whom are just beginning to pay attention to the elections.
Here’s a look at what you can expect:
When is the Republican debate?
Wednesday night’s debate is scheduled to begin at 8 pm local time.
Who’s in and who’s out?
GOP frontrunner and former President Donald Trump has already announced that he will not attend the debate.
Trump supporters, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, will be in Milwaukee. There are questions regarding how many of his campaign surrogates will be allowed into the Fox News trading room. The network has restricted their access unless they are invited by another media organization.
Eight other candidates met the donation and polling requirements to be on stage, according to the Republican National Committee.
qualification requirements
To qualify for the debate, candidates must have applied to the Federal Election Commission, signed a pledge not to participate in any non-RNC debate, and supported the eventual Republican candidate, in addition to voting and donation prerequisites.
Voting and donation requirements are as follows:
Show the RNC by Monday that they’ve gotten more than 1% since July in three national polls, or in two national polls and one poll each from two different early-primary states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina). . The surveys must comply with the standards established by the RNC. Show the Republican National Committee by Monday that they have attracted donations from at least 40,000 people, including at least 200 from each of the 20 states or territories.
Who is in
The Florida governor has long been viewed as Trump’s main rival, finishing a distant second behind him in polls in early-voting states and national polls as well, and raising an impressive amount of money.
But the DeSantis campaign has struggled in recent weeks to live up to the high expectations. He fired more than a third of his staff when federal documents showed his campaign was burning through cash at an unsustainable rate.
With Trump absent, DeSantis may be the primary target of others on stage. According to people familiar with DeSantis’ planning who were granted anonymity to discuss the strategy, the campaign is setting him up for relentless attacks.
DeSantis has been participating in debate-related Q&A sessions at least once a week, enlisting the help of seasoned debate strategist Brett O’Donnell.
The South Carolina senator has been looking for a defining moment. The first debate might be his chance.
Scott, a prolific fundraiser, began the summer with $21 million in cash on hand.
In a poll approved by a debate in Iowa, Scott joined Trump and DeSantis in reaching double digits. The senator has focused much of his campaign resources on the leading GOP state, which has a large share of white evangelical voters.
Scott will campaign in the first few states following the debate, traveling to New Hampshire, Iowa and his home state of South Carolina, where he plans four stops on Monday.
She has invaded early-voting states with campaign events, explaining to crowds her successes in ousting a veteran South Carolina lawmaker and then becoming the state’s first female governor and first female minority governor. Haley, who was also Trump’s ambassador to the UN for regarding two years, frequently cites her international experience, focusing on the threat China poses to the United States.
Haley, the only woman in the Republican race, has called transgender students competing in sports “the women’s issue of our time” and has drawn praise from a leading anti-abortion group, calling her “unusually gifted at communicating from a women’s perspective.
Entering the race in February, Haley raised $15.6 million. Without mentioning the plans to attack while speaking to reporters in Iowa earlier this month, Haley explained why she showed up to the state fair wearing a T-shirt that read: “Underestimate me, it’ll be fun.”
The biotech entrepreneur and author of “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam” is a crowd favorite at multi-candidate events and has done well despite not being nationally known when he entered the career.
Ramaswamy’s campaign says it hit the donor limit earlier this year, but this summer launched “Vivek’s Kitchen Cabinet” to further boost donor numbers by letting fundraisers keep 10%. what they contribute to your campaign.
While pursuing a fast-paced campaign schedule, Ramaswamy has done virtually no formal preparation for the debate, according to a senior aide who was granted anonymity to discuss campaign strategy. The adviser said he will spend the day before the debate playing tennis and spending time with family.
The former New Jersey governor opened his campaign by presenting himself as the only candidate willing to take on Trump. Christie called on the former president to “show up at the debates and defend his record,” calling him a “coward” if he doesn’t.
Last month Christie, who launched his campaign in June, told CNN he had surpassed “40,000 unique donors in just 35 days.” She has also met the electoral requirements.
Burgum, a wealthy former software entrepreneur now serving his second term as North Dakota governor, has been using his fortune to boost his campaign.
Last month he announced a program to give away $20 gift cards (“Biden Relief Cards,” criticizing President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy) to up to 50,000 people in exchange for $1 donations. Critics have questioned whether the offer violates campaign finance law.
About a week following launching that effort, Burgum announced that he had exceeded the donor limit. Ad blitzes in early voting states helped him meet polling requirements.
However, Burgum may not be able to participate in Wednesday’s debate following he was injured playing basketball this week and was taken to the emergency room.
Campaign spokesman Lance Trover said Wednesday that “it’s not clear if he’ll be able to appear in the debate.” The injury, which occurred Tuesday while Burgum was playing with the campaign staff, was first reported by CNN.
Trump’s vice president had hit the polling limit but had difficulty gathering a sufficient number of donors, raising the possibility that he might not qualify for the first debate.
But on August 8, the Pence campaign announced that it had crossed the 40,000 donor limit and also that it had become the first candidate to formally submit its donor count to the Republican National Committee for verification.
An aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy said earlier this month that Pence had participated in regarding half a dozen formal debate prep sessions to date, including at least one in which a former campaign aide close to Trump is playing the role on behalf of the former president.
The two-term former governor of Arkansas was the latest candidate to meet the RNC’s requirements. Hutchinson, who met the polling requirements but worked slowly to surpass the donor limit, told CNN on Sunday that he had finally surpassed 40,000 unique donors.
Hutchinson casts himself in the mold of an old-school Republican and has set himself apart from many of his Republican rivals by his willingness to criticize Trump. He posted petitions on Twitter asking for $1 donations to help secure his position.
Who has decided not to participate?
The current GOP frontrunner has long since met the polls and donors’ bills. But Trump has opted out of Wednesday’s debate, and potentially any others he may follow.
“The public knows who I am and what a successful presidency I had,” Trump wrote on his social media site over the weekend. “THEREFORE I DON’T DO THE DEBATES!”
His spokesman did not immediately clarify whether he plans to boycott all primary debates or just the ones currently scheduled. Trump has also said that he would not sign the debate pledge.
He has raised a variety of possible counter-programming options, most notably a competitive interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who now has a show on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. The day following the debate, Trump is expected to go to Atlanta to be booked on state racketeering charges for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Who’s out?
Miami’s mayor told The Associated Press on Friday that he had qualified for the debate, but party officials disagreed. Senior Republican National Committee aides who spoke on condition of anonymity to share internal discussions later said Suárez had not yet officially met the criteria, and that Suárez was not among the candidates listed in the official on-stage lineup released Monday by the evening.
Suárez has been one of the most creative candidates in his efforts to increase the number of donors. He offered the chance to see Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi’s debut as a player for Inter Miami, saying donors who donate $1 would have the chance to get front-row tickets.
Still below the donation limit, he followed a page from Burgum’s manual by offering a $20 “Bidenomics Help Card” in exchange for $1 donations. A super political action committee that supports Suárez launched a drawing for a chance to win up to $15,000 in tuition, in exchange for a $1 donation to Suárez’s campaign.
The conservative radio host claimed Monday that he had qualified for the debate, shared the letter sent to debate director David Bossie, and said Elder planned to arrive in Milwaukee Tuesday followingnoon.
Following the RNC’s announcement, the Elder campaign said it planned to sue the party “over its last-minute attempt to keep him off the debate stage, even following he completed, and in some cases exceeded, all of the requirements.”
Johnson, a wealthy but largely unknown businessman from Michigan, said on social media earlier this month that he had recruited 40,000 donors. Last week, he said he had met other requirements and on Monday he posted a photo of his signed debate commitment.
But following the RNC slate was announced without him, Johnson took his displeasure to social media, writing that “the debate process has been corrupt, plain and simple” and adding that he would be in Milwaukee on Wednesday “and have more What to say” regarding the process on Tuesday.
The former Texas congressman, the last candidate to enter the race, on June 22, has repeatedly said he would not commit to supporting the eventual Republican nominee, a stance that would keep him out of the picture even if he had the electoral numbers to do so. qualify.
what to watch out for
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ranks a distant second to Trump in many polls, is betting that a strong result will cement his status as the strongest alternative to the former president despite his many stumbles. DeSantis’ team sees newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old businessman, as a threat, while South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence have positioned themselves to compete.
The debate also features a handful of aggressive Trump critics led by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose anti-Trump message is the centerpiece of his campaign despite the former president’s continued popularity in the party. Other lesser-known candidates, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, are largely trying to pitch themselves to voters across the country to help qualify for the second debate.
“Everyone needs to be ready for all-out war as usual,” veteran Republican strategist Stephan Thompson said.
The undeniable presence of Trump
Trump is the central issue in the Republican Party today, which means that he will be the central issue in the debate even in absentia. Up to this point, most of his rivals have tiptoed around the former president, inadvertently raising serious concerns regarding his growing legal baggage, his lies regarding the 2020 election and his divisive leadership style.
It may be harder for candidates to avoid tough questions regarding Trump’s many shortcomings on Wednesday night, especially with outspoken critics like Christie pressing the issue. DeSantis’s approach is particularly significant given his struggle to exploit Trump’s shortcomings thus far, though DeSantis’s allies released a memo last week encouraging him to defend the former president during the debate.
Few, if any, Republican rivals have successfully navigated Trump’s delicate politics over the past eight years. They are regarding to be put to the test once more under the brightest lights of presidential politics.
abortion minefield
For much of the year, many Republican candidates have dodged specific questions regarding abortion and whether they would support a federal law banning the procedure nationwide. What they say or don’t say on Wednesday night might have serious political consequences in the short and long term. And there are no easy answers.
Religious conservatives who wield tremendous influence in GOP primaries (especially Iowa’s first caucuses in the country) strongly support a nationwide abortion ban. But the broader swath of voters who will ultimately decide next fall’s general election overwhelmingly support abortion rights.
Look no further than DeSantis for evidence of the delicate abortion dance. Just four months ago, the Governor of Florida signed into law a Florida law banning abortions at six weeks of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant. But he has largely avoided the topic during the election campaign. Scott and Pence are on the other side. Both have said they would sign a national ban on abortion if elected. And Pence plans to press the issue on the debate stage, whether his rivals like it or not. Democrats hope so.
Outstanding Candidates
For some candidates, this presidential debate might be their last unless they manage to achieve a decisive moment. Pence, in particular, had a hard time hitting the fundraising limits needed to qualify for Wednesday’s event. Hutchinson and Burgum barely reached the 1% mark in the polls. That gives several candidates a huge incentive to create a viral moment that will be remembered (and replayed on social media and cable TV) for weeks to come.
Most will have prepared lines designed to do just that, although it’s not easy to say those lines without sounding overwritten. That won’t stop them from trying. The next debate is scheduled for September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Trump has already said that he would not participate in that one either. And given the increasing polling and fundraising caps, it would be a surprise to see all eight candidates back on stage.
more things to see here.
Why Wisconsin?
Republicans chose Milwaukee for the first debate and for the national convention in just 11 months, largely because of Wisconsin’s well-earned status as a swing state. Four of the last six presidential elections have been decided here by less than one percentage point: Donald Trump narrowly won in 2016 before losing by a similar margin in 2020.
Wisconsin will be one of the biggest blowouts in the general election. It’s a distinction held by a shrinking but often shifting number of places, as former swing states like Ohio and Florida turn more reliably Republican and Virginia and Colorado more Democratic. That leaves Wisconsin, along with Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Nevada, among the most competitive states that might decide the presidency.
In a sign of Wisconsin’s importance, Biden traveled to Milwaukee last week to talk regarding his work to create manufacturing jobs. On Sunday, his campaign announced that he will spend $25 million to run ads in seven states, including Wisconsin, to counter Republicans while they debate. The ad buy includes the campaign’s first investments in Hispanic and black media, the campaign said.
Wisconsin’s status as a primary electoral target is dates back more than 20 years.
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