Gary Johnson
The first debate for Republican presidential candidates of the 2012 election cycle will be held Thursday, and former N.M. Gov. Gary Johnson will participate.
Johnson’s campaign confirmed today that he’s attending. The debate will be televised by Fox News starting at 7 p.m. MST. It’s being held in South Carolina.
Johnson’s campaign had to pay $25,000 to get on the ballot in South Carolina and be eligible to participate in the debate. This will be Johnson’s first real chance to show a wide audience what he’s about as a presidential candidate.
Some of the most high-profile candidates and potential candidates – including Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump – aren’t expected to participate in Thursday’s debate.
As the L.A. Times has reported, Tim Pawlenty is the only “top-tier” candidate expected to participate. The others expected to participate along with Pawlenty and Johnson are Herman Cain, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.