“The Union Leader, one of the sponsors for the forum, said the candidates who have committed to attend include Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich and Chris Christie.”
“Also on the list are Rick Perry, George Pataki, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum and Ben Carson.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/24/us-usa-election-forum-idUSKCN0PY2C420150724
I count 14 in total out of a field of 16. The only ones missing are Trump who bowed out on his own accord and Mike Huckabee – I would guess he was invited as all were but perhaps had a scheduling conflict or just didn’t think it was worth participating in.
In other words, each candidate will have about three minutes to make themselves shine. No wonder Trump bowed out.