The third Republican debate is expected to be less crowded than before.
Five Republicans are set to run against each other at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami, Fla., 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 all made the cut, the Republican National Committee confirmed Monday.
That’s two fewer candidates than the second debate held in September, with former Vice President Mike Pence dropping out of the running at that time and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum failing to qualify.
“We look forward to our third debate in Miami, a welcome opportunity for our candidates to showcase our winning conservative agenda to the American people,” said RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel.
RNC officials set a higher bar for the third debate, requiring candidates to earn 70,000 unique donors — up from 50,000 for September’s second debate — and reach 4% in the polls, up from 3%.
Former President Donald Trump also met those metrics and only needed to take the RNC pledge, which included a pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee, to join his fellow Republicans on stage.
Ron DeSantis will be the top GOP candidate nationally to take the stage Wednesday. CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
But like the first two debates, he seemed content to skip the third and instead hold a rally in nearby Hialeah, Fla., about a 30-minute drive from the debate stage.
The third debate will air on NBC News from 8 to 10 p.m. ET, one hour earlier than the first two debates of the election cycle.
NBC has tapped “Meet The Press” moderator Kristen Welker and “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt to moderate the debate alongside conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
The third GOP debate will feature fewer candidates than the previous two as the field narrows. The Washington Post via Getty Images
This marks the first time in the 2024 cycle that the RNC has ventured outside the Fox News empire for its debates, having tapped Fox News to host the first showdown and Fox Business to lead the second.
Florida is the home state for the two main contenders – Trump and DeSantis.
Last week, DeSantis called on Trump to boycott his debate, questioning whether the former commander-in-chief “had a chance” to appear.
Chris Christie has teased that he might surprise Donald Trump on the campaign trail one day.AP
Christie has also tried to bait Trump into jumping into the arena, keen to battle his friend once.
Trump has declined calls to appear on stage, pointing to his overwhelming lead in the polls and arguing that debating his rivals in the primary is a waste of time.
Nikki Haley’s campaign believes it has momentum in the polls as she prepares to take the stage for a third term.Getty Images
One dynamic that has changed since the second debate is Haley’s standing in the polls. He has enjoyed something of an upswing in recent weeks, which could make him a prime target for rivals.
Scott’s team recently wrote a memo jabbing at Haley as a “moderate” and DeSantis as a “failed candidate.” Haley appointed Scott to serve as a senator in 2013.
With nearly two months to go until the first national GOP contest in January, the candidates likely won’t gain as much traction as they could.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s poll numbers have declined since the first two debates. AFP via Getty Images
Trump is ahead of the GOP 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 at 1.7%, according to the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate.
At least two other down-ballot candidates failed to qualify for the third debate: former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who was cut from the second debate; and Texas businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley.
Several long-term candidates have dropped out of the race in recent weeks, including Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, former Rep. Texas Will Hurd, radio talk show host Larry Elder, businessman Perry Johnson and former Cranston, RI, Mayor Steve Laffey.
After Wednesday night’s showdown, Republicans plan to host at least one more debate before the Iowa Caucuses.
The fourth debate will take place in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Dec. 6 and feature stricter prerequisites for candidates to qualify.
To make the cut, a candidate needs to lock in 6% support in either two national elections or in one national poll and two different preliminary state contests. This is up from the 4% threshold.
Hope also needs to have at least 80,000 unique donors, including 200 unique donors in 20 states — up from 70,000.
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