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2d GOP debate lineups set; Fiorina moves up to main event

The stage is set for the second Republican presidential debate, and the main event will feature the same candidates as last month's slugfest, plus one: Carly Fiorina.

The stage is set for the second Republican presidential debate, and the main event will feature the same candidates as last month's slugfest, plus one: Carly Fiorina.

The debate, Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif., will be broadcast by CNN.

The prime-time event, at 8 p.m. in Philadelphia, will feature the 11 candidates who ranked highest in an average of recent national polls, CNN announced Thursday evening: real estate billionaire Donald Trump, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, New Jersey's Gov. Christie, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard.

CNN will hold an earlier debate, at 6 p.m., for those not polling in the top 11: former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former New York Gov. George Pataki, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Step up?

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore of Virginia did not qualify because he did not meet CNN's criterion of averaging 1 percent in approved national polls.

Twenty-four million people watched last month's prime-time main debate on Fox News, the most ever for a presidential primary debate.

In a GOP campaign defined by Trump's rhetoric on illegal immigration and his ascent to the top of the polls, next week's event could offer prominent candidates like Bush, Rubio, and Kasich a chance to gain momentum, said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton.

"Can they step forward now and really generate a little excitement away from Trump about what they represent and who they are?" Zelizer asked.

Another key question, he said, was whether Trump performs "well enough to continue to be a serious candidate, or does he just go too far so that his bubble implodes?"

'Survival moment'

For Christie, facing another round of news stories about scandal involving the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the debate represents a "survival moment," Zelizer said, in which the governor needs to show donors and voters why they should still invest in him.

CNN amended its debate criteria earlier this month to allow any candidate who averaged in the top 10 in approved national polls between Aug. 7 and Thursday to take part in the top-tier debate. The change came amid pressure from Fiorina's campaign and some Republican officials and activists.

Previously, CNN had said it would select the top 10 candidates based on polling from July 16 to Sept. 10, which would have kept Fiorina from making the main debate. Her poll numbers have crept up after her performance in the undercard of the Fox debate.

CNN said a dearth of August polls caused it to reconsider its process to "ensure the next debate best reflects the most current state of the national race."