Reactions From Voters Before First Presidential Republican Debate | VOA News

VOA gets voter reactions before the first big event of the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign, which will be held Wednesday when candidates of the Republican Party meet on a #debate stage in #Milwaukee, #Wisconsin.

Nine candidates have qualified under the Republican Party's rules to be on the stage inside the Fiserv Forum, the overwhelming front-runner — former President Donald Trump — says he will be skipping the event.

Few of the participants have been outspoken in criticizing Trump. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is an exception. Others, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is running a distant second to Trump, and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, have taken a more measured approach, hoping to convince a party base that remains loyal to Trump that they can implement the former president's right-wing "Make America Great Again" agenda without the legal encumbrances and other controversies.

Then there is Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, who defends his ceremonial certification of the 2020 election results against Trump's wishes. He is still in the low single digits in most polls of potential 2024 Republican voters.

Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday that because of his vast lead in the polls and his known accomplishments during his one term as president, "I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES."

The debate will not be very consequential for Trump — he will still be the front-runner regardless of what happens. But for the others, there could be a viral moment, good or bad, that significantly changes their polling numbers.