The first GOP presidential debate is set for this week and at this point, it appears former President Donald Trump will not participate in the event.However, Gov. Ron DeSantis and several other Republican candidates will be on the stage in Milwaukee this week.Florida Atlantic University professor of political science Kevin Wagner says the upcoming debate is an important moment for the candidates, especially since many voters don’t have well-formed opinions about some of the candidates this early in the process.WPBF Channel 25 is your source for the latest political headlines and live alerts”A lot of voters who are not paying that much attention are going to actually take a look, and it’s going to be their first chance to see, hear and judge some of these candidates,” said Wagner.All polls show former President Trump has a big lead at this time. Most polls show the other candidates, including DeSantis, are not separating themselves nearly as much as Trump is.Wagner says on Wednesday the debate likely won’t be about specific issues in particular but rather how each candidate believes he or she can do the job better than the other candidates- namely Trump.Related: Political expert discusses Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chances for Republican presidential nominationWagner says the candidates have to not only convey they’re the best person for the job, but they have to accomplish this in a delicate way. “In order to win the nomination, they have to persuade a significant amount of support that the former president has to not support the former president and support them,” said Wagner. “How to do that has been a real challenge because if you attack the former president, you can alienate the very voters you’re trying to appeal to and yet if you do not attempt to distinguish yourself on how you’re different than the former president you’re not giving them a reason to change their mind.”Experts say former New Hersey governor Chris Christie has been the most aggressive in attacking Trump up to this point.Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
The first GOP presidential debate is set for this week and at this point, it appears former President Donald Trump will not participate in the event.
However, Gov. Ron DeSantis and several other Republican candidates will be on the stage in Milwaukee this week.
Florida Atlantic University professor of political science Kevin Wagner says the upcoming debate is an important moment for the candidates, especially since many voters don’t have well-formed opinions about some of the candidates this early in the process.
WPBF Channel 25 is your source for the latest political headlines and live alerts
“A lot of voters who are not paying that much attention are going to actually take a look, and it’s going to be their first chance to see, hear and judge some of these candidates,” said Wagner.
All polls show former President Trump has a big lead at this time. Most polls show the other candidates, including DeSantis, are not separating themselves nearly as much as Trump is.
Wagner says on Wednesday the debate likely won’t be about specific issues in particular but rather how each candidate believes he or she can do the job better than the other candidates- namely Trump.
Related: Political expert discusses Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chances for Republican presidential nomination
Wagner says the candidates have to not only convey they’re the best person for the job, but they have to accomplish this in a delicate way.
“In order to win the nomination, they have to persuade a significant amount of support that the former president has to not support the former president and support them,” said Wagner. “How to do that has been a real challenge because if you attack the former president, you can alienate the very voters you’re trying to appeal to and yet if you do not attempt to distinguish yourself on how you’re different than the former president you’re not giving them a reason to change their mind.”
Experts say former New Hersey governor Chris Christie has been the most aggressive in attacking Trump up to this point.
Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
