The Fiserv Forum is prepared for the Republican presidential debate on August 22, 2023, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Source: Scott Olson / Getty
It’s time for the 2023 Republican Primary Debate for the American people!
(Downloadable Bingo card at the end of the article.)
The first Republican primary debate of the 2024 presidential race will be held on Wednesday night from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern. The debate, taking place in Milwaukee, is sanctioned by the Republican National Committee and hosted by Fox News.
Fox News Channel will broadcast the event, with live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern, an hour before the debate itself and running past midnight.
Which candidates will be onstage?
As of the official qualification deadline Monday evening, eight candidates had made the stage. They are:
- Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota
- Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey
- Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida
- Former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina
- Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas
- Former Vice President Mike Pence
- The entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
- Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina
According to the debate guidelines, there will not be any opening statements and questions will be taken immediately!
Hammer and Nigel have created a commemorative 2023 Republican Primary Debate Bingo card for you to fill out during the debate to help keep us all entertained!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD: 2023 Republican Primary Debate Bingo Card
In typical Republican fashion, the debate won’t feature much diversity along gender and racial lines and will feature mostly white men. The three lone exceptions are Haley, a woman who touts her Native American heritage, Ramaswamy, whose family is from India, and Scott, a Black man.
Two other Black candidates did not make the cut and were not eligible to participate in the debate because they didn’t meet the criteria. That includes Larry Elder, a right-wing radio host whose most recent foray into politics ended with him getting trounced in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election.
Elder, after learning that he would not be on the debate stage on Wednesday night, threatened to sue — although it was not immediately clear who would be the target of such a lawsuit, not to mention on what basis it would be filed.
“I said from the beginning that it appeared the rules of the game were rigged, little did we know just how rigged it is. For some reason, the establishment leaders at the RNC are afraid of having my voice on the debate stage,” Elder posted Tuesday morning on the social media app formerly known as Twitter. “Just as I had to fight to successfully be on the ballot in the California recall election, I will fight to be on that debate stage because I fully met all of the requirements to do so.”
Elder’s post was appended with purported evidence that his candidacy met the threshold to be included in the debate.
Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who is also Black, similarly failed to be included in the debate, in part because he refused to sign a pledge to support whoever ultimately wins the Republican presidential nomination.
This is America.
SEE ALSO:
Latest 2024 Election Poll Has Trump Beating Biden With Cornel West Playing ‘Spoiler’
Majority Of U.S. Voters Don’t Want Trump Or DeSantis As President, New Polls Suggest
First 2024 Republican Presidential Debate Bingo Card: Download And Play Along! was originally published on wibc.com
