Gov. Chris Christie, Donald Trump, and other candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination will gather Tuesday night for the fourth GOP debate of the 2016 race
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie, Donald Trump, and other candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination will gather Tuesday night for the fourth GOP debate of the 2016 race. Here is a look at what you need to know heading in:
WHEN: As was the case the first three times, there are actually two debates: an early one featuring four of the bottom contenders and a main one featuring the top eight candidates, according to an aggregate of polls.
The early debate -- featuring Christie -- airs at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The later one -- featuring Trump -- begins at 9 p.m., and will run two hours hours.
WHERE TO WATCH: Fox Business Network will broadcast both events. You can also steam the debates at on FoxBusiness.com. No cable subscription is necessary to stream.
ON NJ.COM: NJ Advance Media will begin its live coverage at 6:30 p.m. Follow on NJ.com/Politics.
Political reporter Matt Arco will be on the scene in Colorado. Follow him on Twitter: @MatthewArco.
LOCATION: The Milwaukee Theatre in Milwaukee -- a 4,000-seat venue that has seen a lot of history. It has hosted such dignitaries as President Woodrow Wilson (the only New Jersey governor to be elected president) and Martin Luther King. And the Beatles played there during their 1964 American tour.
But in maybe the theater's most notorious moment, President Theodore Roosevelt was shot while delivering a campaign speech there in 1912. Though the bullet passed through a thick, folded copy of the speech that he was carrying in his jacket, Roosevelt proceeded to speak for 90 minutes anyway, blood seeping into his shirt.
"Ladies and gentleman," he told the crowd, "I don't know whether you fully understand that I have been shot. But it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose."
MAIN DEBATE PARTICIPANTS:
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas
Businesswoman Carly Fiorina
Ohio Gov. John Kasich
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida
Businessman Donald Trump
EARLY DEBATE PARTICIPANTS:
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania
HOW THEY QUALIFIED: Those who averaged at least 2.5 percent in the four most recent national polls qualified for the main debate. This time, only eight made the cut, compared to 10 in the last debate. Christie and Huckabee were bumped.
WHO'S NOT HERE: Three candidates polling toward the bottom of the field did not qualify for the early debate: former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and former New York Gov. George Pataki. None of them received the necessary 1 percent in the four polls.
MODERATORS: Fox Business Network actors Sandra Smith and Trish Regan, anchors for Fox Business Network, and Wall Street Journal Washington bureau chief Gerald Seib will moderate the early debate.
The main debate will be helmed by network anchor Neil Cavuto, a Mendham resident; Maria Bartiromo, the network's global markets editor; and Gerard Baker, editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal.
DEBATE FORMAT: There will be no opening statements, leaving the candidates more time to answer questions. But there will be short closing statements. Fox Business News said both debates will "focus on jobs, taxes, and the general health of the economy, as well as domestic and international policy issues."
STORYLINES TO WATCH:
* For New Jerseyans, the biggest question might be how their brash governor reacts to being relegated to the undercard. Both Christie and Huckabee were on the main stage last time. Will being in the early debate help or hurt them?
* If all eyes were on Trump the first three debates, expect much attention to be focused this time on Carson, who has overtaken the former Atlantic City casino tycoon in some national polls over the last few weeks. Experts expect some of Carson's rivals -- especially Trump -- to attack him over questions surrounding the accuracy of statements his made in his biography. It's an issue that received much media coverage leading into the debate.
* Another key question will be whether former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- once considered the GOP establishment pick -- can rebound from a lackluster showing in the third debate. And pundits are also looking to see if U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida -- the new top establishment choice -- will deliver yet another solid performance.
Staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.