The Republican National Committee announced the lineup for Wednesday night’s second GOP presidential candidate debate on Fox News Channel, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis taking center stage.
At the debate, DeSantis will be joined by Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and current ambassador, and Vivek Ramaswamy, a successful biotech entrepreneur. The discussion is at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, and will be broadcast live from 9:00-11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey seeking the Republican nomination for president for a second time, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott will be present alongside Haley and Ramaswamy.
Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota, and Mike Pence, a former vice president, will take the outer bookend positions.
According to a press statement from the Republican National Committee, from the beginning of June, there will be a pecking order; candidates will earn a place on stage according to polls, with the highest polling candidate taking center stage.
The RNC instituted polling and donor standards for contenders to meet to take part in the second debate.
A pledge of support for the Republican presidential nominee was also required of all contenders. They have to share information with the RNC and pledge not to participate in any debates that aren’t officially sanctioned for the 2024 election cycle.
Even though he has surpassed the RNC’s standards in terms of both donors and polls, former President Donald Trump did not sign the RNC’s promise. In light of his overwhelming lead in the nomination race, the former president skipped the first debate and has no plans to appear at the second.
Asa Hutchinson, a former governor of Arkansas, was the lone contender who met the criteria for the first debate last month but did not make the cut for the second debate last week.
When Miami, Florida, Mayor Francis Suarez didn’t make it into the first debate, he abandoned his campaign.
