Second Republican debate: Who qualifies for and when is it?

Republican presidential candidates are introduced during the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by Fox News at the Fiserv Forum on Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

When is the second Republican debate?

The second Republican primary debate will be held Sept. 27 at 9 p.m. ET, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, in Simi Valley, California.

Fox Business, along with Univision, will moderate the second debate, and the conservative online video platform Rumble will also stream it.

What are the requirements to qualify for the debate?

The threshold for the second debate is higher than it was for the first. Candidates must poll at 3% in two national polls or 3% in one national poll and 3% in one early state poll from two separate early-voting states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina — recognized by the Republican National Committee. For the first debate, the polling requirement was 1% in the same poll categories.

Polls must have been conducted on or after Aug. 1, and candidates have until 48 hours before the debate to meet the polling requirement.

Candidates will also need to have a minimum of 50,000 unique donors to their principal presidential campaign committee or exploratory committee, with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in more than 20 states and/or territories. That’s an increase of 10,000 unique donors over the 40,000 required to make it onstage for the first primary debate.

Who has qualified for the second debate?

The RNC has not yet released its list of participants, but so far, it looks likely that former President Donald Trump, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamey, former Ambassador to the U.N. and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott are likely to have qualified.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum appear not to have qualified yet.

Who’s moderating the debate?

Stuart Varney and Dana Perino, of Fox News, will moderate the debate, with Univision’s Ilia Calderón.

Does Trump plan to attend?

Former President Donald Trump did not attend the first debate, and instead sat for an interview with Tucker Carlson that streamed at the same time the debate aired. Here’s what he said about why he didn’t participate: “You see the polls have come out, I’m leading by 50 and 60 points. And some of them are at one and zero and two. And I’m saying, ‘Do I sit there for an hour or two hours, whatever it’s going to be and get harassed by people that shouldn’t even be running for president? Should I be doing that? And a network that isn’t particularly friendly, frankly.'”

If this continues to be his criteria — an overwhelming lead in the polls — it seems likely that he will also skip the second debate, but he has so far not said whether he intends to participate.

Trump has also not signed the RNC’s “loyalty pledge” to support the candidate who wins the Republican nomination.