Fox Business to host second Republican presidential debate

The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced early Wednesday that Fox Business will host the second GOP presidential primary debate next month.

The debate will be held at Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California on Sept. 27. It is scheduled roughly a month after the first GOP presidential debate, which is set for Aug. 23 in Milwaukee and will be televised by Fox News.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Wednesday that Univision and Rumble will also be partners for the September debate. The announcement said Rumble will be the “exclusive RNC livestream provider and the RNC’s exclusive online home for the second debate.” 

“I am excited to announce that our second Republican primary debate will be in partnership with FOX Business, Rumble, Univision, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, which will serve as an iconic venue for the debate,” McDaniel said in a statement. “We are looking forward to continuing our fair, neutral and transparent primary process in Simi Valley to elect the next President of the United States.”

The RNC did not detail the criteria candidates will need to meet to qualify for the second debate, but a person familiar with the plans told The Hill last week that candidates will need to have a minimum of 50,000 unique donors, including 200 donors in 20 states or more each.  

They will also need to register at a minimum of 3 percent in two national polls, or poll at 3 percent in one national poll and 3 percent in two polls conducted in two early states, which include Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, according to the source. Both the donor and polling requirements are higher than the threshold needed to qualify for the first debate. 

To qualify for the first debate, candidates need at least 40,000 unique donors to their principal presidential campaign committee, including at least 200 from 20 or more states and territories each. They also must be polling at 1 percent or higher in at least three authorized national polls or at 1 percent or higher in two national polls together, with one “early state poll” from two separate “carve out” states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. 

As of Wednesday, eight GOP presidential candidates have qualified for the first debate: former President Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. 

Updated at 8:38 a.m. ET.