WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Fox Business will hold the second debate of the 2024 Republican presidential contest, the Republican National Committee said on Wednesday, making the conservative Fox outlets hosts of the party’s first two debates.
It is unclear whether the frontrunner in the Republican race for the White House, Donald Trump, will be at either one.
Trump has said he plans to skip the first Republican debate on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That forum will be broadcast on Fox News, also part of Fox News Media.
The second debate will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation in Simi Valley, California on Sept. 27 and be partnered with Univision and Rumble, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.
“We are looking forward to continuing our fair, neutral and transparent primary process in Simi Valley to elect the next president of the United States,” McDaniel said.
Rumble, a video platform popular with conservatives, will also be a partner in the first debate.
In the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, released last week, Trump held 47% of the Republican vote nationally, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropping 6 percentage points from July down to just 13%. None of the other candidates due to attend the August debate have broken out of single digits.
Politico first reported details on the second debate.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Toby Chopra, Andrew Heavens and Sharon Singleton)
