Seven candidates will hit the GOP debate stage as Trump skips the party again

This article will be updated throughout the debate.

Candidates vying for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination will debate for the second time Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, Calif. Former President Donald Trump, who currently has a sizable lead in the crowded field of GOP candidates, will once again not be on stage at the debate.

Instead, Trump is expected to travel to Michigan on Wednesday where he will speak at an auto parts manufacturing plant. That plant, owned by Drake Enterprises, is a non-union shop, according to the AFL-CIO. Other sources familiar with the situation say it is not affiliated with the UAW or the ongoing strikes.

Seven candidates have qualified to take part in Wednesday's debate: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

Burgum narrowly met the Republican National Committee's stricter qualifying rules for this debate. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who was on stage during the last debate, fell short this time.

In a statement, Hutchinson said despite this setback, his campaign will continue with events in early primary states.

"I understand that the RNC and the media are trying to reduce the number of candidates," he said, "but I measure success based on the response I receive in early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire."

Per the new rules, a candidate had to poll at least 3% in two national polls or poll "3% in one national poll and 3% in one early state poll from two separate 'carve out' states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina) recognized by the RNC" to get on stage.

New fundraising criteria also states that a candidate must have a minimum of "50,000 unique donors to candidate's principal presidential campaign committee" with at least 200 unique donors per state in 20-plus states.

All candidates are also required to sign a pledge stating that they will support whoever primary voters chose as their nominee in 2024. Trump has said that he refuses to sign the RNC's pledge, which has disqualified him for the past two events.

The two-hour debate starts at 9 p.m. ET and will be hosted by Fox Business Network, alongside the Spanish language TV news outlet Univision, and Rumble – an online video platform mostly used by conservatives.

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