How do I watch the Republican Debate?
The 2016 Republican candidates will take the debate stage for the second time tonight at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Because of the size of the field, debate host CNN divided the field into top and bottom tiers by their poll positions, as Fox News did for its debate in August. Both debates will be aired on CNN.
- What: Debate for second-tier candidates.
- Where to watch: CNN
- Time: 6 p.m. ET to approximately 7:30 p.m. ET.
- Who's on stage: Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former New York Gov. George Pataki and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was in this group until he dropped out of the race last week.
- What: Debate for top-tier candidates:
- Where to watch: CNN
- Time: 8 p.m. EDT to 11 p.m. EDT
- Who will be on stage: Businessman Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Given the length of the primetime debate, all 11 candidates should have plenty of time to make their arguments. At least one candidate thinks three hours is too long, though.
Will be heading over to the debate soon. Can you believe @CNN is "milking" it for almost 3 hours? Too long, too many people on stage!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2015
There were supposed to be 10 participants, but an eleventh was added because Fiorina and Huckabee tied with an average of 4.4 percent, according to CNN's calculations. Fiorina is the only candidate to jump from to the main stage after appearing at the so-called "J.V. debate" or "happy hour debate" in Cleveland last month.
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, who participated in the Fox News /Facebook debate, did not reach the threshold for inclusion even in the second-tier debate. In order to qualify, candidates had to average one percent support in any three polls in the two-month window. Gilmore had one percent support in only one poll, CNN said.
You can read about what the candidates have been saying about the debate here.