Republicans' Detroit Presidential Debate: 6 Things to Know

DETROIT, MI – The four remaining Republican presidential candidates will gather Thursday for the Fox News GOP Debate at Detroit’s historic Fox Theatre.

The debate takes place five days before the March 8 Michigan presidential primary.

Here are six things to know about the showdown:

Who’s participating: Real estate tycoon Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich will attend.

When it starts: The two-hour forum starts at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

Where to watch it: The debate will be broadcast live on the Fox News Channel. A livestream version will be available at www.foxnews.com.

Who is moderating: Moderators are Bret Baier, Chris Wallace and Megyn Kelly, with whom Trump has a running feud that caused him to skip a debate in Des Moines, IA, before the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses.

Why Detroit: Ronna Romney McDaniel said she made getting a debate in the state a priority immediately after taking over over as Michigan Republican Party chairwoman a year ago.

Who’s not participating: A day after he asked his fellow Republicans to straighten up and agree not to attack each other, Detroit native Ben Carson put out a bizarre statement saying he wouldn’t attend the debate in his hometown.

He stopped just short of suspending his campaign, and said he would provide more context in a speech Friday.

However, Kasich told supporters at a rally in Grand Blanc Wednesday that Carson is dropping out.

"I just had a very, very nice conversation with Dr. Ben Carson who announced today that he's suspending his campaign," Kasich said. "And I think he held his head high and he's a very, very good man."

Carson said in a statement Tuesday that Americans deserve more than they’re getting from candidates “seeking the most powerful position in the free world,” and that the tenor of Republican campaign is an “embarrassment on the world stage.”

It’s unclear if anyone agreed to stop personal attacks.

» Photos by Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons