Republican Presidential Candidates Prepare for First Debate on Fox News; ‘Big Issues’ Will be Focus

By Isaiah Narciso
Republican 2016 Presidential Candidates
Eleven of the declared 2016 Republican U.S. presidential candidates, including (L-R) former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Ohio Governor John Kasich, former New York Governor George Pataki, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, pose together on stage before the start of the the Voters First Presidential Forum in Manchester, New Hampshire, August 3, 2015. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Presidential candidates from the Republican Party are preparing for the first televised debate, which is scheduled to air Thursday on Fox News Channel. Some of them engaged in a practice run on Monday.

According to Ryan Struyk of ABC News, the 10 candidates selected for the primetime debate include Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, and John Kasich. The debate is scheduled to last for two hours.

"A slate of governors, senators and other presidential contenders is set to gather in Cleveland to debate each other for the first time this election cycle," Struyk wrote.

According to Jeremy Diamond of CNN, the debate, which is co-hosted by Fox News and Facebook, will be split into two parts. The first will be on which 10 candidates will take the 9 p.m. EST Thursday primetime slot, while the other debate will take place on the same day at 5 p.m. EST.

"Fox News' debate criteria, which have spurred some pushback from candidates, rely on the five most recent well-respected national polls of Fox News' choosing to select the top 10 candidates, as well as weed out the bottom seven candidates, who will lose out on the prime-time airwaves," Diamond wrote. "As for the debate itself, it's scheduled to go for two hours. There will be three Fox News hosts asking questions of the candidates."

Diamond reported that the other candidates who do not make the primetime cut will still have "a chance to debate the big issues" during the afternoon debate.

"That debate, given its airtime and the crop of lesser-known candidates, is expected to tout significantly lower viewership," Diamond wrote. "But voters will get to see nearly all candidates on one stage this week before the Thursday debates."

According to Brian Stelter of CNN Money, some GOP contenders went to a presidential forum in New Hampshire on Monday. The event was co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Union Leader, headed by publisher Joe McQuaid.

"His staff is saying that he was upset with an editorial that appeared in our paper... questioning his courage versus that of John McCain," McQuaid said of Trump not showing up to Monday's forum.

McQuaid pointed out that his paper's editorial was "a very subtle, tongue-in cheek piece." Stelter reported that Trump's staff sent McQuaid a letter on why the businessman skipped out on the forum.

"It is unlikely I will be getting the endorsement from you and the Union Leader," Trump said.

Viewers can find more information on how to stream the debate online from the Fox News website.

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