It certainly didn’t take long for the 2024 presidential race to become a crowded field of candidates.
With the start of debate season arriving next month, 12 candidates have announced their bid for the White House on the Republican side.
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There are also two Democratic candidates (Marianne Williamson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) who are challenging incumbent President Joe Biden and a third-party candidate (Cornel West), but given it’s a near certainty Biden will be the nominee for the Democrats, the debates will primarily serve as a platform for the Republicans to showcase their candidates.
With that in mind, here are some key questions surrounding the upcoming presidential debates.
When will the first presidential candidate debate be?
The first presidential candidate debate is scheduled for Aug. 23 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. It will be aired at 9 p.m. ET by Fox News and moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
The Fiserv Forum is the site of the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Will all the candidates be present at the debate?
That remains to be seen. Each candidate has to meet criteria established by the Republican National Committee in order to be able to appear on stage for the debate. The criteria is as follows:
- Be constitutionally eligible and appropriately filed with the Federal Election Commission.
- Sign pledges by Aug. 21 agreeing that they will support the eventual nominee and not participate in any non-Republican National Committee debate.
- Have by Aug. 21 polled above 1% since July in three national polls or in two national polls and one early primary state poll.
- Attracted donations from at least 40,000 individuals by Aug. 21, with at least 200 from each of 20 states or territories.
When will future debates be?
That is uncertain at the moment. The location of the second debate is known, with the Republican National Committee announcing that the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California will play host to that debate.
However, a time and date has not been announced yet.