Republican also rans to scrap it out at debate — without Trump

An entrepreneur crusading against progressive issues, a former UN envoy and an ex-vice-president are among the eight to debate.

Ron DeSantis’s candidacy, announced at the end of May, is struggling to establish itself as a threat to Donald Trump, polls say. Picture: AFP

M An entrepreneur crusading against progressive issues, a former UN ambassador, a former vice-president and numerous sitting and former governors: these are the participants in the first debate for the 2024 Republican primaries.

All of them are hoping to shine in Wisconsin on Wednesday at 8pm (11am Thursday AEST) on a stage where the frontrunner, Donald Trump, will be most notable for his absence.

Ron DeSantis

Many Republicans have pinned their hopes on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who at just 44 is seen by some as a rising star of the hard right.

But his candidacy, announced at the end of May, is struggling to establish itself as a threat to Mr Trump, polls say.

Mr DeSantis, a former naval officer, was narrowly elected in 2018 as governor in Florida after receiving the endorsement of Trump, with whom he shares most of his ideas.

Since then, he has cautiously distanced himself from Mr Trump and gained notoriety for a series of hard-right stunts on education, immigration and LGBTQI issues.

Vivek Ramaswamy

He’s made a fortune in biotech, calls environmental activists a “religious cult” and is enjoying a surprise surge in the Republican primaries: 38-year-old Vivek Ramaswamy hopes his provocative, incisive rhetoric will propel him all the way to the White House.

A complete political novice, Mr Ramaswamy likes to think of himself as Trump 2.0, and has risen surprisingly to third place in the polls for the Republican primaries, to be held in early 2024.

Mike Pence

After years of unwavering loyalty to Mr Trump, his former vice-president Mike Pence changed his tune after the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The 64-year-old evangelical Christian, a staunch opponent of abortion, has decided to challenge his former boss in the 2024 Republican primaries.

The rift between the two men, however, means that some Trump supporters still regard the former Indiana governor as a “traitor” for failing to keep the real estate tycoon in office in 2020.

Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson

Two outspoken former governors — Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson — are the Republican candidates most critical of Trump.

Former New Jersey governor Christie, 60, is known for his pugilistic style, portraying the billionaire as self-centred and dishonest. In 2016, Mr Christie ran for the Republican nomination, but bowed out and endorsed Trump.

Mr Hutchinson, 72, former governor of Arkansas, is one of the few conservatives to openly denounce the former president for the scores of indictments pending against him. Yet his campaign struggles to gain traction.

Nikki Haley and Tim Scott

Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and former US ambassador to the UN, is the only woman to have entered the Republican primary.

Ms Haley, 51, has been sharply critical of Trump for continuing to say the 2020 election was stolen from him despite a lack of evidence. Senator Tim Scott, 57, also from South Carolina, openly dreams of being the first Black Republican president.

Doug Burgum

He’s relatively unknown to the general public, but he eked out a way to get on stage on Wednesday.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum reached the threshold of 40,000 donors required to take part in the debate: To do so, the 67-year-old offered a $US20 gift card to every person who donated at least one dollar to his campaign.

AFP