You know DeSantis and Pence. But who are the other candidates in the GOP debate?

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The first Republican primary debate of the 2024 presidential election season is set to air on Fox News at 9 p.m. on Wednesday night, with eight candidates participating.

The current front-runner for the GOP nomination, former President Donald Trump, opted not to attend the debate, which is sanctioned by the Republican National Committee.

Here’s a look at the candidates who will be on stage:

GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis shakes hands with supporters during at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 12 in Des Moines.
GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis shakes hands with supporters during at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 12 in Des Moines.

Ron DeSantis

DeSantis, 44, is the current governor of Florida. He represented a northeast Florida congressional district for nearly six years before running for governor. He previously served in the Navy and graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School. He’s serving a second term as Florida’s governor while running for president and trails Trump in national polls, holding the second-place spot in national polls for the Republican nomination.

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

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Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy, 38, is an entrepreneur and first-time candidate for office. He founded and ran the biotech company Roivant for a handful of years and is the author of Woke Inc., a book about American politics and business. He graduated from Harvard University and Yale Law School. Although he has not held a position in politics before, a Real Clear Politics average of national polls places him third in the race for the Republican nomination, behind DeSantis.

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at Young America’s Foundation event in the Student Center at the University of Alabama.
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at Young America’s Foundation event in the Student Center at the University of Alabama.

Mike Pence

Pence is the former Vice President of the United States, having served under Trump. He was a member of the U.S House of Representatives for over a decade and was at one point the governor of Indiana. The lawyer, 64, has distanced himself from Trump since their loss in the 2020 presidential election. He currently is behind Ramaswamy in national polls.

Sen. Tim Scott speaks at an event with Fourth District Republican Club at the Commerce Club in Greenville, S.C., on Friday, May 12, 2023.
Sen. Tim Scott speaks at an event with Fourth District Republican Club at the Commerce Club in Greenville, S.C., on Friday, May 12, 2023.

Tim Scott

Scott is a U.S Senator from South Carolina and is the first African American to be elected as a Senator from the South since the Reconstruction era, according to USA Today. He was formerly a member of the U.S House of Representatives and served on the Charleston County Council. Scott, 57, graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in political science and previously worked as an insurance agent.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks during the annual Roast and Ride fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, Saturday, June 3, 2023, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks during the annual Roast and Ride fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, Saturday, June 3, 2023, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.

Nikki Haley

Haley is the former governor of South Carolina and was a United States ambassador to the United Nations during Trump’s presidency. Haley, 51, also served in the South Carolina House of Representatives before she became the first female governor of the state. She graduated from Clemson University and is the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet.

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie greets patrons as he arrives to the iconic Cuban Restaurant Versailles in Little Havana, on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie greets patrons as he arrives to the iconic Cuban Restaurant Versailles in Little Havana, on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.

Chris Christie

Christie, who is the former governor of New Jersey, is running for president for the second time. Before he became governor he was the U.S Attorney for New Jersey, a position to which he was appointed by then-President George W. Bush. Among candidates seeking the Republican nomination, Christie has been Trump’s harshest critic. While he had an unsuccessful run for president back in the 2016 election season, one recent poll found that he has managed to catch DeSantis for the second-place spot in New Hampshire.

READ MORE: Christie on DeSantis: ‘People are really beginning to wonder what the hell he stands for’

Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks during the Turning Point Action general session at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach July 16, 2023.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks during the Turning Point Action general session at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach July 16, 2023.

Asa Hutchinson

Hutchinson, 72 , is the former governor of Arkansas and served as a U.S Representative for Arkansas’s Third congressional district. He was the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later appointed to work in the Department of Homeland Security during George W. Bush’s presidency. At the beginning of his political career, he was appointed as a U.S attorney in Arkansas by Ronald Reagan.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican candidate hopeful for U.S. president, speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican candidate hopeful for U.S. president, speaks during the Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.

Doug Burgum

Burgum, 67, is the current two-term governor of North Dakota and a longtime entrepreneur. Prior to becoming governor, Burgum had no political experience. He was the president of a software company that he later sold to Microsoft.