Seven candidates will participate in the second GOP presidential debate on Wednesday night, the Republican National Committee announced on Monday.
The debate will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, and will be broadcast on the Fox Business Network and Univision from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. CT.
Participants, listed in alphabetical order by last name, include North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
Those participating in the event were required to meet criteria set by the Republican National Committee (RNC).
To qualify, candidates must receive at least 3% support in two national polls or 3% support in one national poll plus two polls from separate “carve out” states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina — that vote early.
Additionally, candidates must have at least 50,000 unique donors, with 200 of these donors coming from at least 20 different states or territories.
Finally, candidates must sign a pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee.
Candidates were required to submit proof of these qualifications to the RNC at least 48 hours prior to the debate.
Two well-known names are missing from the list of candidates, as neither former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson nor former President Donald Trump will be participating in the second debate.
Hutchinson, despite participating in the first debate, was unable to fulfill the requirements set forth by the RNC for the second.
“Despite falling short of the RNC’s polling requirement for inclusion in the second Presidential Primary Debate, I will continue our campaign to bring out the best of America with events scheduled in Iowa, New Hampshire, and across the country in the next several weeks,” he said in a statement posted on X.
On the other hand, Trump is voluntarily abstaining from the debate after deciding not to sign the RNC pledge to support the nominee.
Trump said on Monday in South Carolina that his opponents “ought to stop wasting their time” by participating in the debates.
“They’re wasting a lot of time with these ridiculous debates that nobody’s watching,” he remarked, per The New York Times.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the debate “is another opportunity for the RNC to share our diverse candidate field with the American people.”
“The Republican Party is united around one common goal – Beating Biden – and there is no better place to showcase our conservative vision for the future than the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library,” stated McDaniel.