The first Republican primary debate for the 2024 election cycle is tomorrow night. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has indicated he will not be attending, leaving open the possibility for another candidate to take advantage of his absence.

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To make it onto the debate stage, Republican candidates needed to meet strict polling requirements and have at least 40,000 individual donors. National polling puts former president Donald Trump in first place among his Republican opponents, with Ron Desantis in second. The Republican National Committee also required candidates to sign a “unity pledge” before the debate.

With the Iowa Caucuses about five months away, this is an opportunity for candidates to build national name recognition and add donors. 

Maeve Reston is a national political reporter covering the 2024 election. She explains who is looking to take advantage of this early debate and why Trump will be missing from the stage.