Moderators announced for Second GOP Debate
Stuart Varney, Dana Perino, and Ilia Calderón to Moderate Second Republican Primary Debate
Exciting news for political enthusiasts! Stuart Varney and Dana Perino of Fox News, alongside Ilia Calderón of Univision, have been announced as the moderators for the highly anticipated second Republican primary debate. This event will take place on September 27 at the prestigious Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The debate will be broadcasted on Fox Business and Univision, ensuring that viewers from all backgrounds can tune in.
“We are very proud to have Stuart Varney and Dana Perino co-moderating the second debate with Univision to provide Americans with a comprehensive view of the qualifying candidates vying for the Republican nomination for president,” said Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News Media.
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Let’s get to know our esteemed moderators. Stuart Varney, originally from the United Kingdom, has an impressive 45-year career in the television industry. He was one of Fox Business’ original anchors when the channel first launched in 2007. On the other hand, Dana Perino served as the White House press secretary for former President George W. Bush. She is also a co-host of “The Five,” a popular weekday political talk show that consistently dominates its time slot in cable news.
Joining them is Ilia Calderón, who began her journalism career as a local anchor in Colombia. She is currently the co-anchor of Noticiero Univision, the highest-rated Spanish-language network newscast in the United States.
Univision’s executive vice president, Maria Martinez-Guzman, expressed their commitment to providing fair and balanced information to the U.S. Hispanic community. “As the No. 1 source of news for the U.S. Hispanic community, Noticias Univision’s participation as co-host of the second 2023 Republican primary debate reflects the journalistic mission of Televisa Univision’s news division,” she stated.
Who’s Qualified for the Second Debate So Far?
Now, let’s talk about the candidates who have qualified for the second debate. To secure a spot on the stage, a Republican primary contender must have at least 50,000 unique donors, with a minimum of 200 donors from 20 different states. Additionally, they must poll at least 3 percent in two national polls or one national poll along with two early state polls from Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, or South Carolina.
Former Vice President Pence recently met both the donation and polling thresholds, joining other qualified candidates such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
It’s worth noting that South Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson only qualified for the first primary debate. The requirements for the first debate were slightly less demanding, with candidates needing 40,000 unique donors and polling at least 1 percent in three national polls or a combination of 1 percent in two national polls and two early state polls.
Unfortunately, former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd did not make it to the first debate. As for former President Donald Trump, he was absent from the first debate and is expected to skip the second one as well. In a post on Truth Social, he stated, “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
President Trump also referenced how Ronald Reagan, in 1980, chose not to attend a primary debate in Iowa as a frontrunner. Despite this, Reagan went on to secure the Republican presidential nomination and win the White House in a landslide victory against Democrat incumbent Jimmy Carter.
“Reagan didn’t do it, and neither did others,” President Trump wrote. “People
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