RNC announces candidates who will participate in 2nd GOP presidential primary debate

The Republican National Committee has announced that the candidates participating in the second GOP presidential primary debate in California will include North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, author and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

The RNC required candidates to meet certain polling and fundraising thresholds in order to qualify to compete in the debate.

Conspicuously absent from the list is former President Donald Trump. The clear frontrunner in the GOP nominating contest, Trump skipped the first debate last month and is slated to deliver a speech in Michigan on Wednesday night.

Trump has been trouncing the rest of the GOP primary field in the polls and appears to be a political juggernaut barreling toward a third-consecutive election cycle as the Republican nominee.

"Wednesday's debate is another opportunity for the RNC to share our diverse candidate field with the American people. The Republican Party is united around one common goal – Beating Biden – and there is no better place to showcase our conservative vision for the future than the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library," RNC chair Ronna McDaniel said, according to a press release.

According to Fox News Media, the debate will be moderated by Stuart Varney of the Fox Business Network, Dana Perino of Fox News Channel, and Ilia Calderón of Univision.

Separatelly, Fox News Media has also announced that Sean Hannity will moderate a debate between DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom on November 30 in Georgia.

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