With Donald Trump officially bowing out of tonight’s debate, GOP insiders are hoping the candidates will finally get a chance to highlight their policy strengths — and perhaps Trump’s weaknesses.
[Related: 3 Takeaways from the 6th GOP Debate]
Here’s the lineup, ranked in the order they placed in the qualifying polls:
Ted Cruz
Marco Rubio
Ben Carson
Jeb Bush
Chris Christie
John Kasich
Rand Paul
Tonight will mark Rand Paul’s return to primetime, as he did not poll high enough to secure a spot on the main stage at the last GOP debate. Paul, citing
his frustration with the RNC-sanctioned qualification requirements, refused to attend the Charleston debate. Paul has said he is “very excited” to participate in tonight’s debate.BE Politics will be live-tweeting the primetime debate, airing on Thursday at 9 p.m. on Fox News
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