Republicans are branching out from the realm of broadcast media with their moderator selections for the fourth primary debate.
Wednesday night’s gabfest will be overseen by SiriusXM radio host Megyn Kelly, Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson, and NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas.
The verbal bout between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will take place in Tuscaloosa, Ala. with just six weeks to go before the Iowa caucuses.
Once one of the biggest stars in cable news, Kelly will be moderating a Republican primary debate for the first time since January 2016 — another confrontation which Donald Trump did not attend despite being the frontrunner for the party nomination.
When asked about the odds of Trump taking stage Wednesday night, Kelly recently told The Post, “I keep hope alive because the Secret Service went down there and was checking out the venue.”
“But his team is saying no.”
The Post has since confirmed that Trump will be headlining a closed-door campaign fundraiser opposite the debate.
Even with the 77-year-old’s absence, Kelly predicted that “the big winner will likely be Trump unless somebody manages to land a knockout blow.”
After graduating from Syracuse University and Albany Law School, Kelly worked in the legal field for nearly a decade before pivoting to journalism starting in 2003, when she was hired as a general assignment reporter by Washington, DC ABC affiliate WJLA.
The following year, she jumped to Fox News, where she focused on legal and political reporting.
In 2010, Kelly was given her own afternoon show, “America Live,” which was a ratings hit.
Three years later, she debuted her own evening program, “The Kelly File” while fronting the channel’s election night coverage in 2012 and 2016 alongside chief political anchor Bret Baier.
For many, the defining moment of Kelly’s FNC tenure came during the first Republican debate of the 2016 cycle, held in August 2015.
Questioning Trump about his electability, Kelly noted: “You’ve called women you don’t like ‘fat pigs,’ ‘dogs,’ ‘slobs,’ and ‘disgusting animals.'”
When Trump joked in response: “Only Rosie O’Donnell,” Kelly shot back: “No, it wasn’t.”
“Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women’s looks,” she continued. “You once told a contestant on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president, and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who is likely to be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?”
The future president responded: “What I say is what I say. And honestly Megyn, if you don’t like it, I’m sorry. I’ve been very nice to you, although I could probably maybe not be, based on the way you have treated me. But I wouldn’t do that.”
Trump boycotted the next debate Kelly co-moderated, days before the 2016 Iowa caucuses, which he lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
In January 2017, Kelly signed off from Fox News for the last time, accepting an offer from NBC that included the opportunity to front a daytime talk show, “Megyn Kelly Today,” and a current affairs program, “Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly.”
However, her tenure at the Peacock Network was not a success.
“Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly” aired just eight episodes in the summer of 2017 before it was put on permanent hiatus, while “Megyn Kelly Today” was canceled in October 2018 after just 13 months on the air — and three days after Kelly commented about the practice of dressing up in blackface: “When I was a kid, that was okay as long as you were dressing up like a character.”
In January 2019, Kelly reached a severance agreement with NBC, freeing her to pursue other endeavors.
Currently, the 53-year-old Kelly hosts her eponymous show on SiriusXM radio.
She and her husband, Douglas, have three children.
Since September 2019, Eliana Johnson has been the editor-in-chief of the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative outlet that prides itself on its investigative reporting.
“The Beacon’s goal is to ask questions where conservative ideas are the terrain rather than the target,” Johnson told The Post ahead of the debate.
Johnson studied history at Yale University, graduating in 2006.
She started her professional life as a producer for Fox News host Sean Hannity, then worked as a staff reporter for the New York Sun before joining National Review as its media editor in 2012.
Two years later, Johnson was promoted to Washington editor of the venerable conservative publication before joining Politico as a national political reporter following the 2016 election.
She remained there before getting the call to succeed the Free Beacon’s founding editor, Matthew Continetti.
In addition to her editorial work, Johnson co-hosts the media-focused Ink Stained Wretches podcast with NewsNation politics editor Chris Stirewalt.
“I’m showing up to ask challenging questions to all of the candidates,” Johnson said. “The dynamic is totally dependent on them. It’s their debate and they’ll dictate how they want to interact with the moderators.”
Johnson also lavished praise on her co-moderators, calling both “total pros.”
Vargas, 61, is a familiar face to many news viewers, having worked in broadcasting for going on four decades before debuting “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on NewsNation this past April.
A New Jersey native and graduate of the University of Missouri’s prestigious journalism program, Vargas broke into network news at NBC in 1993, working as a correspondent for “Dateline” and occasionally filing in on the “Today” show and “NBC Nightly News.”
Vargas jumped to ABC News in 1996, appearing on “Good Morning America” before being promoted to co-anchor “20/20 Downtown” and front the Saturday edition of “World News Tonight.”
In November 2003, Vargas was tapped to anchor “World News Tonight Sunday” and was promoted to “20/20” anchor in May 2004, replacing Barbara Walters.
Beginning in April 2005, with legendary “World News Tonight” anchor Peter Jennings battling terminal lung cancer, Vargas and Charles Gibson shared fill-in duties.
After months of internal turmoil following Jennings’ death that August, Vargas and Bob Woodruff were named co-anchors in December 2005, with Vargas often joined by Gibson or Diane Sawyer after Woodruff was injured in January 2006 by a roadside bomb while covering the Iraq War.
In May 2006, Vargas resigned from “World News Tonight” and was replaced by Gibson, who reportedly had threated to quit ABC News if he was not given the anchor job.
Vargas returned to “20/20,” but made the news again in 2013, when ABC publicly confirmed reports that she had sought treatment for alcoholism.
She went public with her affliction in January 2014, eventually writing the book “Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction,” published in September 2016.
In May 2018, Vargas left ABC after signing a deal with A&E Networks to anchor an investigative series. In March 2021, she was picked to host a revival of “America’s Most Wanted” on Fox.
Now, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winner will moderate a presidential debate for the first time.
“It’s crunch time for these candidates, just six weeks out from the Iowa caucuses, and we have seen both DeSantis and Haley sharpen their attacks on each other on the campaign trail,” she told The Post.
Vargas added that she “loved” working with her co-moderators over the past several weeks to fine-tune questions for the candidates.
“It’s been a real team effort — and we have surprisingly been on the same page on nearly everything. It’s actually been really great,” she said.
The fourth Republican debate will take place at the Frank Moody Music Building in the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and commence at 8 p.m. ET.
The debate can be seen on NewsNation across the US and will also air live in the Eastern and Central time zones on the CW Network (Channel 11 in the New York area.).