Seven Republicans battling to be their party’s nominee in next year’s U.S. presidential election are set to face off Wednesday in their second debate.

The event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California will not feature the current front-runner in the Republican race, former President Donald Trump.

The field will be largely the same as in the first Republican debate held last month in Wisconsin, which Trump also skipped.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are all taking part.

The only change will be the absence of former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who failed to meet the criteria set by the Republican National Committee.

The requirements included having at least 3% support in two national opinion polls, or 3% in one national poll and two state polls from states holding their nomination contest early in the process – Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

Candidates also needed at least 50,000 unique financial donors and to sign a pledge saying they will support the person who emerges as the Republican nominee.

Republicans will formally choose their candidate at a convention in July ahead of the November 2024 presidential election.

Instead of taking part in the debate, Trump is scheduled to speak Wednesday at a non-unionized auto parts supplier in Michigan.

His visit there follows President Joe Biden’s trip to Michigan this week where he walked a picket line with striking auto workers.  The United Auto Workers union is asking for higher wages, shorter work weeks and pledges from automakers that jobs making electric cars will be unionized.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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