The first Republican presidential primary debate will last two hours and include some pre-taped questions submitted by students from a conservative group, according to formal rules sent to campaign teams.
The Aug. 23 debate in Milwaukee will be hosted by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum and start at 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central.
Format rules obtained by the Semafor news outlet said candidates will not make opening statements. Candidates should expect questions involving “sound or video,” namely queries from members of Young America’s Foundation, a conservative youth group founded in 1969.
Candidates will have one minute for each answer, 30 seconds for each follow-up and 45 seconds for a closing statement. There will be two commercial breaks per hour running three to four minutes each, during which candidates can use the restroom or touch up makeup.
Eight candidates have qualified for the debate: former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
It is unclear if Mr. Trump, the front-runner, plans to show up for the event. He used the debate stage to great effect in 2016 but says he might not want to debate, given his wide lead and fears of bias by the moderators.
His GOP rivals say Mr. Trump is a chicken and must face voters if he wants to regain the White House.
The Republican National Committee said Wednesday the second debate will be held Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California and will be presented by Fox Business and Univision. The Rumble platform will be the exclusive RNC livestream provider.
“We are looking forward to continuing our fair, neutral and transparent primary process in Simi Valley to elect the next president of the United States,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said.
