Who Are The CBS Republican Debate Moderators? John Dickerson, Major Garrett, Kimberley Strassel To Oversee South Carolina Debate

Ahead of the Republican primary in South Carolina Feb. 20, the Party's presidential candidates are scheduled to take the stage for their latest debate Saturday night. The contest will take place at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina, with John Dickerson, Major Garrett and Kimberley Strassel moderating the CBS News event.

The moderators will face the challenge of getting candidates, including businessman Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, to answer questions instead of volleying shots at one another. The primary in South Carolina is nicknamed the "first in the south" and will be an important indicator for which candidates can gain support in the wider region after voters in Iowa and New Hampshire already weighed in.

Dickerson anchors the CBS News program “Face the Nation,” and has also served as political director for CBS News since 2011. He moderated a Democratic debate in November and has worked as a reporter in Washington, D.C., for nearly 20 years. He will be the main anchor during the debate and will be assisted by Garrett and Strassel.

Garrett has served as CBS’s chief White House correspondent since 2012. He drew President Barack Obama’s ire in July when he asked whether the leader was “content” about the nuclear deal with Iran while American citizens were still being held by Tehran. Obama responded saying, “Major, that’s nonsense. And you should know better.”

Strassel, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, will be the third moderator along with Dickerson and Garrett. The Journal, however, is not co-sponsoring the debate. Strassel is a member of the newspaper’s editorial board and has written the Potomac Watch column since 2007.

The debate starts at 9 p.m. EST and will be available via live stream online for free and will also be available through CBS Radio. Google will provide real-time data trends coverage during the debate.