Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The first GOP debate won't feature the party's front-runner for the 2024 presidential nomination, but that doesn't mean Donald Trump's influence won't be felt when candidates take the stage tonight.
University at Buffalo Political Science professor Jacob Neiheisel spoke with Brian Mazurowksi and Susan Rose Wednesday morning to preview the debate.
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Neiheisel says he expects the debate to be different from ones in the past due to the absence of the former President.
"He's going to be a topic of conversation. Everybody is going to look to score points off of him" Neiheisel told WBEN.
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Neiheisel says it will be a bit of a juggling act for those on stage tonight as they attempt to appease Trump's base while also guarding against attacks from fellow candidates.
"They also have to be weary of the idea that they might be going after somebody who can't, at least in a one on one setting, defend himself. And so there's going to be a lot of kind of, careful tap dancing going on trying to navigate those different elements," says Neiheisel.
Though Trump has attacked many of those participating in tonight's debate, Neiheisel says all of the candidates are at least partially influenced by the former President.
"They all need what Trump built over the last several years in order to win the nomination. There's just a lot of people out there who like a Trump style of politics, they like Trump and they like the way he went about things," notes Neiheisel.
Full analysis of what to expect from tonight's debate as well as background on the candidates from Professor Neiheisel is available in the player below.