Seven Republicans are hoping for a second chance to prove they are better suited for the White House than Donald Trump as they prepare to appear for another debate Wednesday night in California.
Specifically, Ron DeSantis is facing a crucial night in his bid to become the Republican presidential nominee.
The second presidential debate airs at 9 p.m. on Fox Business and will take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, where fireworks and heated arguments are expected as the candidates campaign to become the next president.
Florida Gov. DeSantis has slipped to fifth place in some polls and is expected to face attacks from his opponents as he tries to re-challenge his front-runner, Trump.
Strategists tell that DeSantis’ team is prepared for an onslaught of criticism at Wednesday’s debate, but insist he will not stoop so low as to launch attacks on those next to him on the stage stand.
Trump is skipping the event – again – and will instead speak to auto workers and members of the striking United Automobile Workers (UAW) in Detroit at 8 p.m
Attention is also turning to Nikki Haley because of her rising poll numbers in recent weeks and to Vivek Ramaswamy, who was in the spotlight in the first round in Milwaukee last month.
The other competitors need critical support or they will face increasing questions about their future in the race. answers the most important questions about today’s spectacle.
Who is debating?
On stage are Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley; South Carolina Senator Tim Scott; former Vice President Mike Pence; former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
But with all candidates still well behind Trump in the polls, many still view the debate as part of the race for second place.
The former president has repeatedly said that the events were beneath him because no candidate could match his poll numbers.
This time, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson will not be on stage. He failed to qualify for the second debate after narrowly meeting polling and donor thresholds for the first debate last month.
While it managed to meet the requirements in a national survey, it did not meet the thresholds required for debate at the donor or state level.
Seven candidates met the Republican National Committee’s enhanced qualifications to participate in the second primary debate. Above, watch them perform on stage in California on Wednesday night
QUICK GUIDE TO THE SECOND GOP DEBATE
Where: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California
When: Wednesday, 27/2023, 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. ET
Who qualified: Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Mike Pence and Doug Burgum
Hosted by Fox Business and Univision
Hosts: Fox News anchor Dana Perino, Fox Business anchor Stuart Varney and Univision’s Ilia Calderon
Where to watch: Fox Business Network, Fox News, Rumble, streaming platform Fox Nation, Univision (in Spanish), its streaming platform ViX and website UnivisionNoticias.com
Where will Trump be: Detroit, Michigan, where he will meet with striking auto union workers and give a speech
When and where will the debate take place?
The debate begins Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California and is hosted by Fox Business and Univision.
Fox News anchor Dana Perino and Fox Business anchor Stuart Varney will co-host with Univision’s Ilia Calderon.
The Reagan Library has 750 seats for in-person debate spectators, with the stage next to a vintage Air Force One. Additionally, there are multiple channels and streaming options available for viewers to watch the debate.
With 600 reporters responsible for covering the event on site, the ratio of press to spectators is almost 1:1.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) released a statement in June saying that candidates who qualify for the debates will be placed on the stage based on their poll ratings, “with a focus on the candidates with the highest poll ratings.”
That means DeSantis takes center stage, flanked by Ramaswamy and Haley. The next shift will consist of Scott and Christie, while Pence and Burgum will round out the stage at either end of the podium row.
Some expect the two-hour event to be overshadowed by what many see as a preview of a hypothetical rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden in the general election, as both travel to Michigan this week.
Biden joined the strike line with striking auto union workers on Tuesday – and Trump is giving his prime-time speech, with auto workers expected to be present during the debate on Wednesday.
In addition to Hutchinson, the other candidates who failed to make the cut include conservative radio host Larry Elder; Perry Johnson, Michigan businessman; Pastor and businessman Ryan Binkley; and former U.S. Representative from Texas Will Hurd.
Miami Mayor Frances Suarez, who did not qualify for the first showdown, withdrew from the race between the first and second debates.
Despite skipping the debate, Trump will head to the Los Angeles suburb of Anaheim just two days later for a lunch banquet at the California Republican Party’s fall convention on Friday.
DeSantis will appear at the dinner banquet the same day, while an afternoon event will feature remarks from Scott. Meanwhile, Ramaswamy will attend a VIP reception and lunch banquet at the Congress on Saturday, according to an online event schedule.
Trump calls debate “stupid”
Trump has already set a precedent by skipping the first event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last month.
Instead, he sat down for an in-depth interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, which aired just five minutes before the debate began.
Trump has suggested he could bypass any primary debates.
On Monday, during a campaign stop in Summerville, South Carolina, the former president called the Republican primary debates “stupid.”
“It’s basically an interview. “Look at the debates, it’s a job interview and so far I’m not too interested,” he said at a campaign office before a rally in the state, which is still early in the primaries.
Donald Trump said during a campaign stop in Summerville, South Carolina on Monday that the debates were “stupid” and that it was “a job interview” that he had no “interest” in attending
Meeting at the Reagan Library in Southern California will mark the second time the candidates will face off in two months – many using the opportunity to expand on the ideas they presented at the first debate.
David Trulio, president of the Reagan Foundation & Institute, told that the location of the second debate was significant because of the Reagan-like directors the candidates are trying to emulate.
“In the ’70s and ’80s, some wondered if America’s best days were behind it, and that’s what we’re seeing today,” Trulio noted at a meeting in the library on Tuesday.
“When President Reagan founded this library in November 1991, he believed in debate,” Trulio added. “He said he wanted it to be a ‘dynamic intellectual forum’ where policymakers would discuss the future.” So what better place in the Reagan Library for candidates, in this case the Republican Party, to put their To make a case for why they should reach the highest office in the land than this place?
He also cited disappointment that Trump would not take part in the debate.
“We would love to have any candidate here who meets the RNC qualifications, and of course that includes President Trump,” Trulio said. “He chose not to sign the pledge, as I understand it, which therefore prevents him from coming to the stage, but he has complied with the other requirements that the RNC has put forward.”
After failing to close the gap with Trump – and actually widening it after the first debate – many political strategists say the pressure is on DeSantis to truly stand alongside the others in the race for second place candidates to claim.
Meanwhile, others tell that Scott needs to make this debate his moment if he wants to meet the expanded criteria for the third debate later this fall.
How do the candidates prepare for the debate?
Senator Scott is preparing primarily by praying, spending time with family and staying active by going to the gym and playing pickleball, a person familiar with the candidate’s preparations told .
Speaking to Fox News last week, Scott said: “[What I] I hope you see a man who is authentic to who he is on Wednesday night. I want to be myself.’
“The goal is for us to be able to talk about the most important issues facing this nation,” the senator added, later saying, “I am the defender of those who cannot find anyone to speak up for them.” “I will be the voice for be the ones who feel voiceless because I was that child.”
A source familiar with DeSantis’ preparations and strategy for the debate said his team expects the governor will face more attacks this time.
“Other candidates made a mistake last time by not attacking and I don’t think they will make the same mistake again,” the source told .
Ron DeSantis faces a crucial night in his bid to become the Republican presidential nominee as he takes the stage in prime time with six of his rivals in California
A letter to “friends, donors and supporters” suggests that Desantis will not deign to attack his fellow candidates on stage.
“While other candidates may use this opportunity to distract or launch false attacks, DeSantis remains focused on the mission of reviving the American dream and delivering victories for hardworking families,” said the memo, written by DeSantis campaign manager James Uthmeier.
He continued by criticizing Trump for his refusal to debate and his general absence from the primary campaign. Uthmeier compared the former president’s campaign style to that of Biden’s “campaign from the basement” amid the 2020 pandemic.
Haley’s team is notorious for keeping debate strategy in check and can expect to face a target following her post-debate surge last time, political strategists tell .
They note that Haley, who is the only woman on stage, is unlikely to shy away from attacks from her Republican rivals.
Vivek Ramaswamy stole the show at the first debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Can he return to the spotlight and cement his status as a serious candidate?
How did you qualify for the debate?
The criteria for the second debate includes candidates proving to the RNC that they received over 3 percent of the vote in at least two separate national polls in August or September.
Alternatively, candidates were only able to meet the national threshold in one poll, while they were above 3 percent in two separate early primary polls in two of the four early primary states – Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina.
Polls had to include at least 800 registered likely Republican voters and the poll could not be attributed to any candidate.
Candidates must also raise donations from at least 50,000 people – including at least 200 from 20 different states or U.S. territories.
As with the first debate, candidates had to sign a pledge pledging to support whoever becomes the Republican nominee in the 2024 race. This was criticized by some candidates, including Christie and Hutchinson. They claim the pledge will benefit Trump, who will most likely be the nominee.
The third debate is scheduled for early November in Miami, Florida, sources told multiple media outlets.
Julie Chávez Rodríguez, campaign manager for the Biden-Harris 2024 reelection, told reporters in Southern California on Tuesday that the team is letting Republicans speak for their extreme agenda.
“We will continue to focus on spreading the message of our successes and ensuring that voters understand the extreme agenda that we will continue to see in this debate stage tomorrow night,” she noted during a press conference with union representatives farmers support the president’s re-election bid .