Donald Trump won the first round. One can argue Ben Carson took the second. Now, a day before the University of Colorado in Boulder hosts the election season's third Republican presidential primary debate, the question becomes what either candidate can do to pull ahead.
List of Candidates Participating
With the exception of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, every GOP contender who appeared in CNN's debate last month will participate: Trump, Carson, Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz. Dubbed "Your Money, Your Vote," this installment will air on CNBC, the business news network many Americans believe to have a liberal bias.
If that's the case, CNBC moderators aren't planning to act on it. Fox News and CNN debates focused on general interest affairs - like immigration, women's rights, and Trump's bombastic beliefs relating to both - but Wednesday night's theme will primarily relate to economic issues, mainly because the network rarely deals with anything other than that.
As CNBC's Jake Novak put it, Oval Office hopefuls will "still have to expect the CNBC debate will force them to prepare to discuss tax policies, job creation, energy, health care costs, interest rates, inflation, retirement, college tuition, trade policy, etc."
"Candidates being candidates, some of them will still probably find ways to make a comment or two about personal looks, religion, and many of the other "issues" no one should really consider to elect a president. But it won't be very easy in a CNBC forum," Novak added.
Debate Info.
When: Oct. 28, 2015
Where: Coors Event Center, University of Colorado in Boulder
Time: 8 p.m. EST (Approximately two hours)
Live stream: CNBC, CNBC Pro ($29.99 a month, but free with a seven-day trial)
Moderators: CNBC "Squawk Box" co-anchors Becky Quick and Carl Quintanilla, Washington correspondent John Harwood
Participants: Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich