On the eve of the Republican primary debate at Fiserv Forum, candidates and their supporters began arriving in Milwaukee. Late Monday night, the Republican National Committee announced the eight candidates who will take part in the debate:North Dakota Gov. Doug BurgumFormer New Jersey Gov. Chris ChristieFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantisAmbassador Nikki HaleyFormer Arkansas Gov. Asa HutchinsonFormer Vice President Mike PenceEntrepreneur Vivek RamaswamySouth Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim ScottThree candidates – businessman Perry Johnson, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and talk show host Larry Elder claimed to meet the criteria, but the Republican National Committee disagreed.Elder and Johnson said they are going to sue the RNC. Ramaswamy hosted a pre-debate party Wednesday in the beer garden in the Deer District. He is one of the candidates rising in the polls, but he is still a far cry from the Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump. Ramaswamy is one of the eight candidates who will be on stage Wednesday night inside Fiserv Forum.The two-hour primetime debate could be a make-or-break moment for some of them, especially since Trump will be a no-show, although some of his surrogates and campaign officials are in town. "Is Trump going to be watching Wednesday night? What is he going to do during the debate?" WISN 12 News Political Director Matt Smith asked a Trump campaign adviser."I have a sneaking suspicion something will pop a little beforehand, maybe something with a former Fox News host," Jason Miller said."Do you have any concerns as a campaign official about this strategy — skipping the first two debates? Are you for sure skipping the first two debates?" Smith asked."So the president has said he won't be participating in the debates. I would take his Truth Social post at face value for now. If he changes that at some point and decides to patriciate, then he'll let us know then," Miller said.Smith also spoke with former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison. "Trump not on the stage. Good thing or bad thing?" Smith asked candidate Asa Hutchison"Actually, I think it's good for the voters because they'll get to see the contrast between the alternative candidates. And I think America wants an alternative to Donald Trump if we're going to win in 2024. Wisconsin is a good example of that. This is a state that's going to be tough to win for Republican, and we need to have somebody that can appeal to independent voters and suburban voters." Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Ramaswamy will be front and center on the stage Wednesday night, with Trump not showing.Candidates will have one minute to answer questions with a 30-second follow-up. The latest national polling, though, shows Trump with nearly a 40-point lead over his closest contenders.