Sept. 24, 2019 - 7:00-8:30 p.m. in New York City
Former Rep. Joe Walsh and former Gov. Bill Weld participated.  Former Gov. Mark Sanford cited a scheduling conflict.  The event was largely lost amid news of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's announcement of an impeachment inquiry the same day.

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Business Insider
September 11, 2019

Business Insider to host first Republican presidential primary debate

Debate to feature the Republican presidential candidates Joe Walsh and Bill Weld.

New York City (September 11, 2019) — Business Insider announced today that it would be hosting the first debate among two candidates challenging President Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination, former Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois and former Gov. Bill Weld of Massachusetts.

Mark Sanford, the former congressman and South Carolina governor, has been invited as well.

The debate will be held September 24 on "Business Insider Today," the popular daily news show on Facebook Watch. The debate is not sanctioned by the Republican Party, which is supporting Trump's reelection bid. Trump was invited to participate but has not responded.

Business Insider will hold the debate at the New York City headquarters of its parent company, Insider Inc. The debate will be hosted by Henry Blodget, CEO, Insider Inc.; Anthony Fisher, politics editor, Insider (the sibling publication of Business Insider); and Linette Lopez, opinion columnist, Business Insider.

Said Nicholas Carlson, global editor-in-chief of Insider Inc.: "The fall presidential campaign season is heating up. But we should be paying attention to more than just the Democrats who are running for president. The political landscape has changed immeasurably since Donald Trump ran for and was elected president. It's vitally important to have an honest conversation about what it means to be a Republican in the era of Trump; our debate will be a valuable part of that discussion."

Walsh is a conservative radio host and former Illinois US representative. He declared his candidacy on August 25. Weld, who ran for vice president on the 2016 Libertarian Party ticket headed by the presidential nominee Gary Johnson, announced his Republican 2020 presidential campaign on April 15. Sanford became the third Republican to mount a primary challenge against the president when he announced his campaign on Sunday.

The Republican debate is the latest in a series of live 2020 campaign events hosted by Business Insider, following two town halls with Democratic candidates earlier this year.

About Insider Inc.

Insider Inc. is the parent company of Business Insider and Insider, a popular general-interest news publisher. Launched in 2007, Business Insider, with 16 global editions in eight languages, is one of the most popular business news brands in the world. Per Comscore, Insider Inc. is the fourth-largest general-interest site audience in the United States. Insider Inc. reaches hundreds of millions of unique monthly visitors each month, and generates hundreds of millions of video views each month. The company offers a subscription research service, Business Insider Intelligence (BII), which provides in-depth insights, data, and analysis on digital topics. Insider Inc. is a subsidiary of the media and technology company Axel Springer.