Well, it’s the first 2016 debate of either party and it is sure to be a raucous occasion given the current state of the Republican field. Donald Trump, among nine others, will likely make the cut which will produce the most-watched first-of-the-cycle primary debate of all time in my opinion. Check back on August 7 and we’ll see if that prediction is correct, as I’m almost certain it will be.
Report from USNews:
The first major televised Republican presidential debate is two weeks away, on August 6, and it’s shaping up as a defining moment in the fight for the GOP nomination.
The likely star of the debate – the candidate who is generating the most news coverage and the most intense positive and negative reactions – is billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump. His nationwide celebrity, his attention-getting personality and his exposure on the popular TV show “The Apprentice” will make him a big attraction. And Trump’s willingness to practice the politics of derision has Republican establishment leaders worried that he could turn the proceedings into a nasty series of insults and counter-insults.
“I think you have to assume he’ll be loud and aggressive and do everything he can to stay on offense,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Politico. “Trump is very smart. He has lots of TV experience and is absolutely uninhibited.” Gingrich is a veteran of the 2012 presidential campaign, and he did well by taking the offensive in several debates that year, even though he lost the GOP nomination to Mitt Romney.
Fox News, which is sponsoring the encounter in Cleveland, intends to limit the participants to 10 of the 16 announced candidates, based on their standing in five of the most recent national polls. If current trends hold, according to an analysis by the New York Times, those most likely to qualify will be, in the order of their polling support: Trump, former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, retired surgeon Ben Carson, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, although the last few candidates on this list could easily slip off the stage if their unimpressive polling numbers decline in the next two weeks.
That would be eight debaters, and there’s room for two more.
Who will the “two more” be? Head over to an article on our partners site for a more detailed look into the polling. As it stands, the field is settling a little bit with Donald Trump planted firmly at the top, for now.
