Republicans to kick off 2024 presidential primary debates in August in Milwaukee

The Republican National Committee says it will hold the first 2024 GOP presidential nomination debate in August in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The RNC announced that its Standing Committee on Presidential Debates voted on Thursday to hold the debate in Milwaukee to coincide with the national party committee’s summer meeting. Milwaukee will also serve as the host city for 2024 Republican National Convention.

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel made the announcement in a note to committee members, which was obtained by Fox News. 

“At this time, no other debates have been sanctioned, nor has the final criteria for the first debate been decided,” McDaniel added.

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According to GOP sources, the RNC had also been considering kicking off their primary debates with a showdown at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.

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Former President Donald Trump – who launched his 2024 campaign in November, was the only major Republican in the 2024 race until former South Carolina governor and former ambassador Nikki Haley declared her candidacy last week. Entrepreneur and conservative author and commentator Vivek Ramaswamy jumped into the race this week.

As Fox News reported last week, the Standing Committee on Presidential Debates is also consider requiring all Republican White House hopefuls to pledge their support for the party’s eventual nominee before making the debate stage. The pledge would be modeled on a similar pledge used during the wide open 2016 Republican presidential nomination race.

The move comes as Trump and some of his potential rivals for the nomination are pushing back on the idea of signing any kind of loyalty pledge.