The Fox News Republican Presidential Debate 2016 takes place tonight, and for one night at least, Donald Trump will take a backseat, after confirming he will not join the debate because he feels Fox News host Megan Kelly is biased against him. That means the seven other GOP presidential candidates will get center stage for the Iowa debate. The Fox News Republican Presidential Debate tonight has a scheduled start time of 9 p.m. ET for the main debate, but there will also be an earlier undercard debate between four candidates starting at 7 p.m. ET. The debate can be watched on TV on the Fox News network, or online through live stream via the link below.
Tonight's debate will be the first time that Sen. Ted Cruz will take center stage for the GOP Presidential Debates, and without Donald Trump participating, he has the chance to gain voters' attention and try to close the gap on Trump in the Iowa polls.
Most analysts also believe that tonight offers a unique chance for third-placed (in the Iowa polls) Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to go head to head with Cruz and potentially capture the imagination of voters to gain back some of the gap between himself and the top two contenders.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has indicated that he is happy that Trump will miss tonight's debate, telling Fox News: "It'll give us more time to talk. And that'll be good for me and good for the other people on the stage."
Rand Paul's supporters will also be delighted with the fact that Trump has dropped out of the debate, as it will mark a return for Paul to the main debate after he missed the recent Fox Business Network debate due to his struggling poll numbers.
The seven candidates who will debate on the main stage tonight will be Ted Cruz; Marco Rubio; Ben Carson; Jeb Bush; Chris Christie; John Kasich; and Rand Paul.
Prior to that debate taking place there will be an undercard debate with four GOP candidates set to take part at 7 p.m.. They are Carly Fiorina; Mike Huckabee; Rick Santorum; and Jim Gilmore.
Thursday night's debate is seen as critical for many candidates as it will be the final time for them to make an impression on a nationally televised debate prior to the Iowa caucuses.
At present, prediction polls make things appear like a two horse race between Trump and Cruz, and although Rubio has held a steady third in recent weeks he is still far behind the front two in the running. Meanwhile, Carson has experienced a drop in poll numbers over recent months and he is now struggling to keep up with the top candidates competing for the nomination.
Moderating tonight's Fox News Republican Presidential Debate 2016 will be anchors Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace. The undercard debate will start at 7 p.m. with the main debate having a start time of 9 p.m. ET. The debates can be watched on TV on the Fox News network or online through live stream by clicking here.
