Republican presidential candidates gather again for their fourth debate Tuesday night in Milwaukee. Here’s a viewer’s guide for following all the action:
When does it start?
As with the previous three, the Milwaukee event will feature two GOP debates. The undercard forum will begin at 7 p.m. ET and will last one hour. The main event for the leading Republican contenders kicks off at 9 p.m. ET and runs two hours.
Both debates will be televised live on Fox Business Network and will also be streamed onFoxBusiness.com.
Where will the debates be held?
The Milwaukee Theatre in Milwaukee, Wis.
Will there be a policy focus?
According to Fox Business Network, Tuesday’s debate “will focus on jobs, taxes, and the general health of the economy, as well as domestic and international policy issues.”
Who will be in each debate?
The prime-time debate stage will be a little less crowded on Tuesday, while the undercard debate will also look a bit different.
The main event will include Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Rand Paul.
The “happy hour” debate will feature Chris Christie, Bobby Jindal, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum.
Why are Huckabee and Christie in the undercard this time?
Fox Business Network and The Wall Street Journal, co-hosts of the Nov. 10 debate, used a similar criteria as CNBC in October, but fewer candidates made the cut this time.
In order to qualify for the main stage, a candidate had to average at least 2.5% in the four most recent national polls leading up to the debate, which this time included surveys from Fox News, Investor’s Business Daily/TIPP, Quinnipiac University and The Wall Street Journal/NBC News. Christie and Huckabee fell just short.
What about Lindsey Graham and George Pataki?
Graham and Pataki, who had qualified for the prior three preliminary debates, failed to do so this time. In order to rate an invitation, a candidate had to get 1% in any one of the previously mentioned polls. Jim Gilmore also failed to qualify.
Who will moderate?
For the main debate, Neil Cavuto, managing editor of business news for Fox Business Network, Maria Bartiromo, the network’s global markets editor, and Gerard Baker, editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, will moderate.
Sandra Smith and Trish Regan, anchors for Fox Business Network, and The Journal‘s Washington bureau chief, Gerald Seib, will be at the helm for the undercard.
They’ll all be looking to avoid the controversy that surrounded CNBC’s moderating panel at the Oct. 28 debate.
When’s the next Democratic debate?
If you can’t get enough presidential debates, this is the week for you. You’ll only have to wait until Saturday night to watch Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley square off in Des Moines.
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