Republican debate in Milwaukee; everything you need to know
MILWAUKEE - With the first Republican presidential debate less than 24 hours away, several candidates were already in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Aug. 22.
The first primary debates generally see the largest audiences. Each of the eight candidates who will take the stage is trailing former President Donald Trump in the polls and looking to break through a crowded field.
"Make a lot of noise in that stadium. And we will revive this great nation. Tomorrow," said Vivek Ramaswamy.
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Ramaswamy, a millennial and businessman, is one of eight candidates who will take the debate stage. He held a rally outside Fiserv Forum on Tuesday.
"Do you want incremental reform, or do you want revolution? I will stand with you on the side of revolution," he said.
Prep for Republican presidential debate at Fiserv Forum
Inside Fiserv Forum, construction crews transformed the Milwaukee Bucks’ arena into a political testing ground.
"I know history, and I’ve watched presidential debates all through my life and the history that is made in those debates," said Asa Hutchinson.
Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, will be on the far left of the debate stage. The order is set by polling, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will take center stage having the highest numbers of the group.
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Trump is leading the primary polls by 40 points, but he's skipping the debates.
"It’s kind of a joke right now. It’s not a real contest," said Jason Miller, the Trump campaign’s senior advisory. "It would be a mistake to come here. Take a look at some of these fringe candidates, Asa Hutchinson is at 0.5%."
"There’s two ways for the other candidates to try to propel themselves. One is the debate, and this is the first one," said Craig Gilbert, Marquette University Law School Lubar fellow. "The other is to try to get something going in early states, particularly Iowa and New Hampshire.
"If you can make both of those things happen, it’s sort of talking about a process where anything can happen."
Meanwhile, Wisconsin Democratic Chairman Ben Wikler will also be watching -- and criticizing – the candidates
"I’m expecting another kind of leap-frogging contest to the extrema MAGA right," he said. "Donald Trump knows that Wisconsin has rejected him in 2020, 2022 and the Supreme Court election this spring was a rejection of MAGA-ism."
Candidates taking the stage
The RNC confirmed late Monday which candidates will be on the Milwaukee debate stage. They include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
The Republican party set a number of markers that candidates needed to meet to qualify, including achieving benchmarks in polling and donor numbers, as well as signing a pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee.
How to watch
The two-hour debate will start at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday. It's being moderated by Fox News Channel hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
The first forum is airing exclusively on Fox News and the Fox Business Network as well as on Fox's website and other streaming and digital platforms – including FOX Nation.
In lieu of the network's YouTube channel, the Republican National Committee has partnered with Rumble – a video sharing platform popular with some conservatives – to livestream the debate. Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said earlier this year this was a decision aimed toward "getting away from Big Tech."
Another debate partner is the Young America's Foundation, a Virginia-based outfit headed up by former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker that bills itself as "the principal outreach organization of the Conservative Movement."
Milwaukee road closures, parking changes
Milwaukee police anticipate a higher volume of downtown traffic throughout the day Wednesday. Road closures and no parking-tow away zones will take effect at 3 p.m.:
- 6th Street from McKinley to State
- Juneau Street from 6th to MLK
- 5th Street from McKinley to Juneau
- Vel R. Phillips from McKinley to Juneau
- Vel R. Phillips to MLK/Highland
Additionally, there will be a police screening point to park in structures at:
- 5th and McKinley
- Vel R. Phillips and State
- MLK and Highland
The Associated Press contributed to this report.