Your Debate Cheat Sheet

It’s almost showtime for the first prime-time mass verbal smackdown of the 2016 Republican primary season — for the top 10 who are in and the other, less lucky seven who will compete on a smaller stage.

Main Event Contenders
As announced late Tuesday by Fox News, the main event will feature real estate tycoon Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio.

The 10-pack was determined to be the leading contenders by the Fox network based on the five most recent national polls that met its standards. The debate airs on Fox starting at 9 p.m. Thursday, live from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland — the same venue as the Republican National Convention next summer.

The Preliminary Event
The remaining seven candidates will face off in the hour-long “matinee” debate at 5 p.m. They are: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former New York Gov. George Pataki and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore.

Moderators and Rules
Anchors Chris Wallace, Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly will moderate the prime-time debate, with detailed rules specifying that each candidate will be allotted one minute to answer a direct question, with rebuttals limited to 30 seconds if a candidate is directly challenged. No opening statements will be allowed, and candidates who are leading in the polls will receive the center-most spots on stage, with others flanking them to their left and right in descending order.

No opening statements will be allowed, and candidates who are leading in the polls will receive the center-most spots on stage, with others flanking them to their left and right in descending order.

Trump holds the middle spot, Bush to his left, Walker to Trump’s right. And then it’s Huckabee on the left, Carson on the right, Cruz on the left, Rubio on the right, Paul on the left, and Christie and Kasich holding forth from the edges of the stage

Each candidate will get a one-minute closing statement.

Format and Style
The debate is being co-hosted by Facebook. A question submitted via Facebook by a user will be asked of the candidates once every 15 minutes. Facebook data tracking the social media response to the candidates’ performances will run throughout the event.

In interviews with Washingtonian magazine, USA Today and the Washington Post, all three moderators vowed to keep the debate lively. Baier told Washingtonian that he plans to fold candidates’ talking points into his questions, to cut down on long-winded, repetitive answers, while Wallace suggested to the Post that he will be “adversarial” and that moderators will push a Trump-Bush clash.

Kelly told USA Today that Trump will be “front and center” and will “drive huge eyeballs to the debate.”

“Good or bad, he’s fascinating,” Kelly said in an interview that aired on Monday. “He’s a true celebrity. He commands an audience for whatever reason. He’s interesting — he just is. Trump may be peaking early, or it may be the beginning of something unstoppable.”

All Eyes on Trump
Thursday’s debate will give Trump the chance to bask in the spotlight before a national TV audience, with many viewers anxious to see how his bluster and bravado hold up under fire from moderators and other candidates.

Indeed, for those candidates trailing Trump — all of them, in other words — Thursday presents the first chance to dent his armor. The businessman and television personality has enjoyed high-profile media attention for the first seven weeks of his campaign, with contenders unable to challenge or admonish him except from afar.

Follow @LifeZette on Twitter for live debate coverage and commentary from PoliZette staff Thursday Aug. 6th at 5pm and 9pm EST. 

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