Rare News Desk
With the exception of Donald Trump, who at press time says he will not take part in the debate, the full slate of Republican candidates will be involved in one of two debates to be held in Thursday in Iowa in advance of that state’s caucuses Monday.
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And, there will be a new face among the participants in the early debate – former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore.
Trump announced this week that he will not attend the debate because he believes one of the its moderators, Fox anchor Megyn Kelly, will not treat him fairly. He has planned a fund-raiser for veterans to run at the same time as the debate Thursday night.
Here’s all you need to know about Thursday’s debates
When: Thursday, Jan. 28
Where: Iowa Events Center, Des Moines, Iowa
What time: The first debate begins at 7 p.m. (ET); the “primetime” debate starts at 9 p.m. (ET) and goes until 11 p.m.
Hosted by: Fox News and Google
Airs on: Fox News – (DirecTV – channel 360); (Dish Network – channel 205); (ATT U-verse – channel 210) – with coverage on Fox News Radio, Fox News Mobile and FoxNews.com.
Online coverage: In addition to FoxNews.com, the Fox News/Google Digital Debate Special will also be available on YouTube and Roku.
Post-debate coverage: The Kelly File with Megyn Kelly will air immediately following the debate. She will be joined by Sen. Ted Cruz, Charles Krauthammer and pollster Frank Luntz’s focus group. Sean Hannity will be on after Kelly at (midnight ET).
Live stream: The debate will be streamed live at FoxNews.com. You can also listen on SiriusXM channel 114. You can also use an iPhone, iPad or Android device via Fox News Go, or through the Fox News app, which is available via iTunes and Google Play.
You can also interact with others watching the debate on Google Trends, which will feature, according to Fox, real-time insights on candidate search interest, key issues and topics covered throughout the night.
Moderators: Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace
Who can participate: According to Fox News, in order to qualify for the primetime debate, candidates must place in the top six spots nationally in an average of the five most recent national polls. Or, they can place within the top five in Iowa or New Hampshire in an average of the five most recent Iowa or New Hampshire polls recognized by Fox News.
For the early debate, candidates must have at least one percent in support in one of the five most recent national polls recognized by Fox News.
Who’s in: Here are the candidates invited to participate in the primetime debate and their websites.
- Donald Trump (has declined the invitation)
- Ben Carson
- Marco Rubio
- Jeb Bush
- Ted Cruz
- Chris Christie
- John Kasich
- Rand Paul
Who is in the 7 p.m. debate (those polling at least 1 percent):
Likely issues
While we don’t know for sure, the likely issues to be raised in the debate include:
- Donald Trump
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The candidates’ faith
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Immigration
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Terrorism
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Health of the national economy
When’s the next one
The next Republican debate will be held Saturday, Feb. 6, at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. It will be hosted by ABC News, the IJReview.com and WMUR. David Muir and Martha Raddatz will be the moderators.
The next scheduled Democratic debate (NBC is trying to convince the candidates to participate in an unsanctioned debate on Feb. 4) will be in Milwaukee, Wisc., on Thursday, Feb. 11. It will be sponsored by PBS and moderated by Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff.
