CUMMING — The Forsyth County Republican Party is holding a watch party Thursday for the GOP’s first presidential debate.

The event is set for 8:30 p.m. at Summit’s Wayside Tavern on Lake Center Parkway in Cumming.

Jason Mock, who chairs the local party, said it would be an opportunity to learn about the candidates for the 2016 nomination.

“This is going to be the first time that most of them will be on a stage together, talking about certain issues and having to address those issues one by one,” he said.

This election season has been a wide open race for the GOP nomination, with at least 17 candidates stating their intent to run.

Though the debate will feature only the top 10, Mock said the other presidential hopefuls will also have a chance to get their views out.

“There will also be a debate with the candidates that don’t make, I guess, that first tier cut starting at 5 p.m. also on Fox,” he said.

“So just a full day of finding out what the candidates stand for, what their issues are, where they want to take our country for the next four years.”

Within the local party, Mock said, there are a “mixture of folks who have candidates and folks who are waiting to see, kind of, how the field plays out.”