Eight Republican presidential hopefuls had their first opportunity to address a national audience of GOP primary voters on Wednesday in the leadoff debate of the primary season. The debate took place at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is also the venue for the Republican National Committee’s nominating convention next summer.
The candidates who participated in the debate were Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Notably, former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple criminal indictments, boycotted the event, choosing instead to tape an interview with conspiracy theorist Tucker Carlson.
In an attempt to highlight his lead in the polls, Trump claimed he didn’t need to debate. However, his campaign officials and other high-profile supporters attended the event to argue that Trump is the inevitable nominee. Meanwhile, Trump is planning to visit the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Thursday to undergo fingerprinting and photographing related to his latest indictment.
This debate is the first in a series scheduled to take place approximately once a month until December. The second debate will be held at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, at the end of September, followed by the third debate in Alabama one month later.
To participate in Wednesday’s debate, candidates had to meet certain criteria, including receiving contributions from at least 40,000 different donors, reaching a 1% threshold in three national or early state polls, and signing a pledge to support the eventual nominee.
Former Texas congressman Will Hurd opted not to sign the pledge, forfeiting his chance to be on the stage. RNC chair Ronna McDaniel reportedly made efforts to convince Trump to participate despite his previous statements refusing to promise support for the eventual nominee. Christie indicated that he would sign the pledge with the same level of seriousness that Trump did in 2016. Pence signed it but expressed confidence that primary voters would not support Trump again in the 2024 general election.
While some candidates, like Ramaswamy and Scott, signed the pledge without hesitation, others have concerns about supporting a candidate who attempted to undermine American democracy by refusing to accept the election results.
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