The first important campaign event for the 2024 presidential election in the United States will be held on Wednesday. As Voice of America correspondent Steve Herman announces, the candidates of the Republican Party will face each other in a debate in the city of Milwaukee in the state of Wisconsin in the evening.
When the Republican candidates take the stage for a debate in downtown Milwaukee on Wednesday night, they will not include the front-runner, former President Donald Trump, who has said he will not attend.
Only one of the expected attendees, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, has openly and harshly criticized Mr. Trump. Others, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, have taken a more measured approach, hoping to convince the party’s base that remains loyal to Mr. Trump that they can implement the former president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda, without the burden of legal issues against him and other controversies.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, defended the certification of the 2020 election results, a ceremonial move he made despite Mr. Trump’s opposition.
He continues to have low support in most polls of Republican voters for 2024.
Although Mr. Trump and his bombastic comments will be absent from the stage, the debate will largely center around him, including the fact that he faces 90 criminal charges related to his actions before, during and after the presidency, predicts the political science professor at University of Mary Washington, Stephen Farnsworth.
“This creates difficulties for other Republicans because they have their own ideas about key issues like the economy, Ukraine or immigration and yet they may be deprived of the opportunity to discuss those issues. The questions to them will be about Donald Trump,” he says.
The debate will have no effect on Mr. Trump: He will continue to be the front-runner. But American University professor Jordan Tama says that one wrong or right comment during the debate can significantly change the chances of other candidates.
“We’ve seen from debates in past election cycles that candidates can have a bad moment that can disqualify them. We’ve also seen moments in past debates where candidates have said something that positively affected their chances, was given an impetus in the race”, he says.
Each of the candidates on the stage hopes their appearance Wednesday night will give the race a boost, giving them the chance to return to Milwaukee when the Republican Party meets in that city to choose a general election nominee in July. upcoming.
