See photos from GOP primary debate in Milwaukee

Republican Party members, delegates and high-profile political figures descended upon Milwaukee this week for the party’s first presidential primary debate, held Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.

The two-hour event, broadcast exclusively by Fox News, drew an estimated 7,000 attendees who watched eight presidential hopefuls take the stage: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. Former President Donald Trump, who is currently the party’s front-runner, opted out of Wednesday’s debate but his presence could be felt as the proverbial elephant in the room.

The event somewhat served as a prelude to next summer’s political spectacle in Milwaukee, with the Republican National Convention taking place here July 15-18, 2024. That’s especially true of the national media exposure that comes with hosting a large-scale political event leading up to a presidential election. The debate was covered by every major news outlet, drawing hundreds of journalists from across the country — some from overseas. For the event, most media were stationed in an area of the arena typically used as a parking garage for Bucks players. The space was transformed into the media file center, complete with rows of tables and more than 30 TV screens showing Fox News’ live broadcast. Just adjacent was the spin room, where candidates are interviewed by reporters after the debate. A separate “media row” was set up outdoors on the plaza in front of Fiserv Forum.

The plaza was also the site of a free block party hosted Wednesday afternoon by the Young America’s Foundation, but attendance was light due to extremely high temperatures.

The debate wasn’t the only GOP event happening in Milwaukee this week. The Republican National Committee hosted its summer meeting for its 168 members on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Baird Center. Those who were in town for the debate and summer meeting also had the chance to connect with prospective vendors for their RNC-related needs, whether that be transportation, catering, printing or entertainment, at the Convention Partner Fair Wednesday morning. About 300 businesses from across the state set up shop at the Baird Center to showcase their services and products to potential customers.