The third Republican debate will be slightly less crowded than its predecessors.
Five Republicans are set to face off against each other at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami, Florida, on Wednesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) have made the cut, confirmed on Monday the Republican National Committee.
That’s two fewer candidates than in the second debate in September, in which former Vice President Mike Pence has since dropped out of the race and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum failed to qualify.
“We look forward to our third debate in Miami, a good opportunity for our candidates to showcase our winning conservative agenda to the American people,” said Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
Republican National Committee officials set a higher bar for the third debate, requiring candidates to gather 70,000 unique donors (up from 50,000 in the second debate in September) and reach 4% in select polls, up from 3%.
Former President Donald Trump also met those metrics, needing only to accept the Republican National Committee’s pledges, which included a pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee, to join his Republican peers on stage.
Ron DeSantis will be the Republican candidate with the most votes nationwide to take the stage on Wednesday.CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
But as with the first two debates, he seems content to skip the third and instead hold a rally in nearby Hialeah, Florida, about a 30-minute drive from the debate stage.
The third debate will air on NBC News from 8 to 10 pm ET, one hour before the first two verbal contests of the election cycle.
NBC has tapped “Meet The Press” moderator Kristen Welker and “NBC Nightly News” host Lester Holt to moderate the debate along with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
The third Republican debate will feature fewer candidates than the previous two matchups as the field narrows. The Washington Post via Getty Images
This is the first time in the 2024 cycle that the RNC has ventured outside the Fox News empire for its debates, having chosen Fox News to host the first bout and Fox Business to host the second.
Florida is the territory of the two main contenders: Trump and DeSantis.
Last week, DeSantis criticized Trump for his debate boycott, questioning whether the former commander in chief “has the guts” to show up.
Chris Christie has said he could one day surprise Donald Trump on the campaign trail.
Similarly, Christie has attempted to goad Trump into jumping into the arena, eager to confront his former friend.
Trump has rejected calls to appear on stage, pointing to his overwhelming lead in the polls and arguing that debating his lesser rivals is a waste of time.
One dynamic that has changed since the second debate is Haley’s standing in the polls. She has enjoyed something of a rebound in recent weeks, which could make her a prime target for her rivals.
Nikki Haley’s campaign believes it has momentum in the polls as it prepares to take the stage for a third time. Getty Images
Scott’s team recently wrote a memo criticizing Haley as a “moderate” and DeSantis as a “failed candidate.” Haley had appointed Scott to the Senate in 2013.
With nearly two months until the nation’s first Republican contest in January, candidates will likely scramble to gain as much traction as possible.
Trump is well ahead of the Republican pack nationally with 58.5% support, followed by DeSantis at 13.3%, Haley at 8.4%, Ramaswamy at 4.5%, Christie at 2 .5% and Scott with 1.7%, according to the latest aggregate from RealClearPolitics.
At least two other lower-polling contenders failed to qualify for the third debate: former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who was excluded from the second debate; and Texas businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s poll numbers have fallen since the first two debates. AFP via Getty Images
Several long-shot candidates have dropped out of the race in recent weeks, including Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, radio talk show host Larry Elder, businessman Perry Johnson and former Cranston Mayor , Rhode Island, Steve Laffey.
After Wednesday night’s showdown, Republicans plan to host at least one more debate before the Iowa Caucus.
The fourth debate will take place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on December 6 and will have even stricter prerequisites for candidates to qualify.
To make the cut, candidates will need to secure 6% support in two national polls or in one national poll and two different early state races. This represents an increase compared to the 4% threshold.
Challengers will also need to have a minimum of 80,000 unique donors, including 200 unique donors in 20 states, up from 70,000.
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