Republican presidential hopefuls duke it out onstage in Reagan Library debate
Fox Business is co-hosting the second GOP presidential nomination debate Wednesday at 9 pm ET
GOP candidates gearing up to win over American voters in second debate
FOX Business' Madison Alworth reports from Simi Valley, California, where the 2024 Republican candidates will take the debate stage Wednesday night.
The second Republican presidential primary debate is underway in Simi Valley, California, where seven presidential hopefuls are battling, hoping to seize momentum in the race for the GOP nomination.
The debate, which is taking place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, is televised on the FOX Business Network (FBN) and Univision from 9-11 pm ET.
The White House contenders, in alphabetical order, are North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, biotech entrepreneur and political commentator Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
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Seven Republican candidates qualified for the second presidential debate. (Fox News / Fox News)
Standing at the center of the stage is DeSantis, with Haley and Ramaswamy on either side of him.
Christie and Scott are standing alongside Haley and Ramaswamy. And standing on the wings of the debate stage are Burgum and Pence.
A Republican National Committee (RNC) release from early June stated that "qualified candidates will be placed on stage according to polling, with the highest polling candidate in the center."
The candidates began by addressing the issue of the economy, blaming President Biden for rising inflation and a weakening economy, and the crisis at the U.S. southern border under the Biden administration.
WHAT'S ON THE LINE FOR EACH OF THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ON THE DEBATE STAGE
Notably absent from the stage, again, will be former President Donald Trump, who holds a massive lead over the Republican primary field. Trump did not sign the pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee.
But a number of candidates on the stage invoked Trump, just minutes into the debate, saying the former president should participate in debates and defend his record.
The Air Force One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum will host the FOX Business Republican primary debate on Wednesday. (Steve Whitaker Photography / Fox News)
The most recent Fox News poll shows 60% of Republican primary voters supporting Trump for the GOP nomination — that’s up from 53% in the last survey in August.
The only other candidates to receive double-digit support in that poll are DeSantis at 13% and Ramaswamy at 11%.
Haley sits at 5%, with Pence and Scott at 3% each. Christie is polling at 2%, with the remaining GOP candidates receiving less than 1%.
And according to a new Washington Post/ABC poll from over the weekend, Trump is currently leading President Biden by 10 points in a head-to-head general election survey among voters. The poll said if the 2024 presidential election were held today, Trump would win 52% to 42% over Biden.
Meanwhile, Biden's approval rating sits at 37%, according to the poll, while 56% of respondents actively disapprove of his presidency.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.