GOP candidates square off at FBN debates

This time, it’s the Republicans debating the economy, domestic and foreign policy on the Fox Business Network, and again, the candidates have been divided into two groups: prime time and not-quite-ready-for-prime-time. Gerard Baker, the Wall Street Journal editor who joined Bartiromo and Cavuto for the prime-time debate of top candidates in November, was not announced in the moderator lineup.

The field for tonight’s main debate has been whittled down to seven – former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Texas New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Senator Ted Cruz, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and billionaire businessman Donald Trump. But Fiorina will join former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (the only Southern Baptist pastor in the race) and former Sen. Voters in those states will be the first to indicate their preferences, in the Iowa caucuses February 1 and the New Hampshire primary February 9.

Rand Paul was originally scheduled to appear in the undercard round as well, but once he found out he hadn’t made the main stage, he chose to skip the debate altogether.

Fox Business is available in 80 million homes. Beginning at 6PM/ET and 9PM/ET, Thursday’s debates will air live from the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, SC on FBN.

The Fox Business Network has partnered with companies like DIRECTV, Mediacom, Suddenlink, Cox Communications and Wide Open West. The company has also teamed up with a large number of companies belonging to National Cable Television Cooperative (“NCTC”) to make the FBN channel accessible to their customers.