The second Republican presidential debate is set to take place on September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, California. The event will be hosted by Fox News Media's Stuart Varney and Dana Perino, alongside Univision's Ilia Calder??n. This debate follows the first one in Milwaukee in August, where political newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy dominated the stage. Despite Donald Trump's absence, he claimed victory by publishing an interview with Tucker Carlson that garnered over 100 million views.

The debate will be broadcasted on Fox Business, with simultaneous broadcasts on Fox News and availability on Fox Nation. It will also be livestreamed on Rumble, a video-sharing service popular among conservatives, as well as on Univision. California, a traditionally Democratic stronghold, will be the location for this Republican debate, adding an interesting dynamic to the event.

Seven candidates have qualified to participate in the debate according to the Republican National Committee's threshold. However, Donald Trump has declared that he will not be attending any of the debates, even though he easily meets the qualifications. The candidates who have qualified include Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, senator Tim Scott, former vice president Mike Pence, multi-millionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie. Each candidate must sign a pledge certifying their support for the eventual Republican nominee to participate in the RNC debates.

The upcoming debate will feature fewer candidates compared to the first one, as the qualifying rules are more stringent. It is expected that North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson will fail to make the cut due to a lack of donors and poor polling. Furthermore, it is no surprise that Donald Trump will skip the debates once again, as he did not attend the first one either. There have been speculations that Trump may hold a rival event at the same time as the debate.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was initially seen as a strong contender to challenge Trump, has faced a challenging year with decreasing poll numbers and staff changes. He will be looking for a breakout performance in this debate to revitalize his campaign. On the other hand, Vivek Ramaswamy, who had a strong presence in the previous debate, can expect to be attacked by his rivals due to his lack of experience. Nikki Haley and Mike Pence, who delivered solid performances last month, are likely to lead the criticism against Ramaswamy. Tim Scott, who had a subdued performance in the first debate, will also aim for a more forceful night.

It is expected that most candidates, except for Chris Christie, will not go after Trump regarding his indictments and legal issues, as Republican primary voters believe they are politically motivated. Instead, candidates will likely focus on attacking President Joe Biden, especially considering the Republican-controlled House of Representatives launching a formal impeachment inquiry into Biden over alleged ties to his son Hunter Biden's business practices.

The inclusion of Univision as a debate host indicates a play for Hispanic voters. Republican support among Latinos has been growing, particularly in key battleground states like Arizona and Nevada. Candidates can expect questions about the economy and their plans to improve the financial prospects for Latino families.

Overall, the second Republican presidential debate promises to be an intense and crucial event for the candidates as they vie for attention and support on the debate stage.