Seven hopefuls for the Republican presidential nomination were named Monday night as participants in the event scheduled for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. — one fewer than the field of participants in the first debate.

And much like the first debate last month, the frontrunner for the nomination – Donald Trump – will not be in attendance.

What You Need To Know

  • The Republican National Committee announced the seven participants for Wednesday's GOP presidential primary debate, without former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson falling short of the RNC's support criteria

  • The debate, to be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., will include North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley; former Vice President Mike Pence; tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott

  • Former President Donald Trump will not participate in the debate, instead opting to counterprogram the event by meeting with workers at an automotive parts manufacturing plant in Michigan

  • The event is a chance for candidates to set themselves apart — Trump leads national polling, with all other candidates (including DeSantis, whose support is trending downard) trailing well behind

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was ruled out for Wednesday's primary debate, falling short of the heightened support criteria for the event set by the hosting Republican National Committee, which made its announcement Monday night. The anti-Trump Republican has made it clear, however, that he's staying in the race.

Former President Trump – far and away the race's frontrunner, according to polling – will also miss out on the debate, opting to counter-program the event by visiting workers at an automotive parts manufacturing plant in Clinton Township, Michigan, amid the United Auto Workers strike. His trip to Michigan follows one from President Joe Biden, his likely 2024 opponent, the day prior.

The seven participants who will be on stage Wednesday are otherwise the same from August's debate: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley; former Vice President Mike Pence; tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.

To qualify for the second debate, hosted by Fox Business Network, candidates needed at least 3% support in two national polls, or 3% in one national poll and two polls from among Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. 

Candidates also needed at least 50,000 unique donors and at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20 or more states or territories.

DeSantis is currently polling second in national support (13.8% support; Trump is at 55.2%), though he's trending in the wrong direction. 

An average of national polls by analytics blog FiveThirtyEight indicates that DeSantis has lost ground since July 1, when he had 23.4% support.

Candidates also must have signed a "Beat Biden" pledge — one affirming that they will support the eventual Republican nominee, whomever that may be. However, as national polls currently stand, Trump is expected to carry the banner for the GOP going into the 2024 general election, leaving a tall task ahead of the other candidates.

With less than four months to go until the first contests in the Republican primary, the candidates will no doubt be looking to build momentum in order to slow Trump down – or, potentially for some, stand out frmo the pack to be a possible running mate for the former president as he mounts a third White House bid.

And for some, one expert says, it's now or never to stand out from the crowd.

"The fight on that stage is to become the alternative to Donald Trump," said Bob Shrum, Director of the Center for the Political Future at the University of Southern California. "Nikki Haley made some progress in the last debate. Vivek Ramaswamy made some progress, although I don't think he has staying power. And Ron DeSantis was quite disappointing, almost not there in the last day. So for him, this is really critical."

Haley and Ramaswamy notably saw their profiles soar after the first GOP debate, but the question is whether they will be able to maintain their momentum in the crowded race.

"The best advice is to make some waves," Gabriel Kahn, a Journalism Professor at USC Annenberg, told Spectrum News. "To say something sort of bold and audacious that separates them from the pack because I think that it is still very much a one person race."

One expert believes Trump's absence could give other candidates the opportunity to steal the spotlight – which could prove to be a costly mistake.

"By skipping the debate, I think Trump makes a mistake in that he gives an opportunity for one of his challengers to hit a home run, have a powerful moment, gain momentum in Iowa and New Hampshire and raise more money," said Mike Murphy, a longtime Republican strategist who has advised a host of GOP candidates, including previous presidential candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney.  

But the tricky part, Kahn says, is attempting to win support without alienating Trump's fervent supporters.

"They're only able to operate within a narrow band, because you've got those who still support Trump but are still running for President against him and two of them who say never him," Kahn said.