The party's frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, leads the field in early-voting state polling by double digits, but he has not yet said whether he'll join his opponents on stage.
Trump, who hasn't confirmed whether he'll participate, faces a deadline to surrender at the Fulton County Jail two days after the debate. He was indicted for the fourth time earlier this week in a sweeping racketeering case stemming from his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Brett O'Donnell, a veteran Republican debate coach, has been brought on to help with DeSantis' campaign and has conducted weekly debate prep sessions with the governor. O'Donnell has years of experience in GOP debate prep, having helped Mitt Romney prepare in 2012, John McCain in 2008 and then-President George W. Bush in 2004.
Scott has spent more on ads than any Republican running for president, focusing on markets in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the first two GOP primaries will be held. His campaign will be airingon Fox News right as the debate starts Wednesday, focused on Scott's self-described"optimistic" and"hopeful" message.
Haley is expected to tout her foreign policy bona fides. As ambassador to the U.N. in the Trump administration, she likes to say she took the"Kick me sign" off America's back. "I have never known him to be scared of anything. We'll see if he is scared to be on the debate stage, but I would expect him to get up there," Haley added. Pence was preparing for the debate stage for weeks before he qualified. His campaign began team sessions on Zoom about five weeks ago, according to a source on his campaign.
"I do hope he comes. I hope we have a fulsome debate. And I hope it's the beginning of a vigorous debate about the future of the country," Pence said in an address at the National Conference of State Legislatures Wednesday.