By Eric Bradner, CNN(CNN) — With front-runner Donald Trump skipping the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate, eight of his GOP rivals will vie to emerge as the party’s top alternative to the former president in their first on-stage showdown Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Here are six things to watch in Wednesday night’s debate:Can DeSantis withstand the bright lights? With Trump skipping Wednesday night’s debate, DeSantis – who has polled in second place nationally and in early-voting states among likely Republican primary voters all year – might wear the biggest target on the stage in Milwaukee. After all, Trump remains broadly popular with Republican voters, which means attacking the former president could alienate broad swaths of the primary electorate. At least that’s the advice from Scott Walker, the former Wisconsin governor who shared a debate stage with Trump during the 2016 cycle before bowing out of the race.

Source: CNN August 23, 2023 10:11 UTC