The third Republican primary debate is just over 24 hours away, and a total of five presidential hopefuls have qualified to appear onstage in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday night. As the qualified candidates prepare to once again make their case for the party’s nomination, here’s what to know ahead of tomorrow night’s event.
The third debate will air live from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami from 8-10 p.m. EST. NBC News will provide exclusive coverage, broadcasting the debate on its cable news stations and streaming it on NBCNews.com and the NBC News Now app.
“Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker, “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, and Salem Radio Network host Hugh Hewitt are slated to moderate the debate. The Republican Jewish Coalition will be co-sponsoring the event.
“We are especially honored to be the first political party to partner with a Jewish organization for a debate in our partnership with the Republican Jewish Coalition, and our candidates will reaffirm the Republican Party’s unwavering support of Israel and the Jewish community on the stage Wednesday night,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a press release.
In order to participate in the debate, candidates are required to have at least 4 percent support in two national polls (or one national poll and two state polls), as well as 70,000 unique donors across 20 states. According to the final lineup released by the RNC on Monday, the qualified candidates are as follows.
- Former President Donald Trump
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
- Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
- Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
- Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
- South Carolina Senator Tim Scott
Former President Trump, who leads the pack of candidates by an average of more than 40 points, declined to attend the Miami debate just like he did with the first two debates in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Simi Valley, California. Instead, Trump will host a rally in Hialeah’s Ted Hendricks Stadium, roughly 30 minutes from the debate venue.
The frontrunner’s counter-programming will begin at 7 p.m. EST and will stream on Rumble, X, Facebook, Trump’s Truth Social page, and will be simulcast by networks like Right Side Broadcasting and Newsmax.
With Trump absent from the debate stage, DeSantis, Haley, Ramaswamy, Christie, and Scott will debate a series of hot-button issues, most likely centered on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The five candidates represent a quickly dwindling field of contenders, many of whom have struggled to keep up with the increasing participation requirements.
Last week, former Vice President Mike Pence announced the suspension of his campaign, becoming the first candidate to drop out after participating in the televised debates. Pence’s announcement made him the fifth candidate to exit the race, preceded by talk radio host Larry Elder, businessman Perry Johnson, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who participated in the first two debates, failed to qualify for the third, as did former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who was only present for the first. However, neither has expressed their intent to drop out of the race. In a statement on X, Burgum said “Skipping the next debate isn’t going to stop us.”
“DC insiders are trying to stop me from fighting for you!” he continued. “It’s not gonna work.”
Skipping the next debate isn’t going to stop us. I’ve been told “it’s impossible” my entire life and always beat the odds.
They told me I couldn’t build a tech company in North Dakota. We built a billion-dollar one.
They told me I wouldn’t be governor. We won by 40 points.… pic.twitter.com/zvof7bC85e
— Doug Burgum (Text "DOUG" to 70177) (@DougBurgum) November 7, 2023
The fourth Republican primary debate has already been scheduled for December 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and will further tighten polling and donor requirements for candidates.
Stay tuned to VT.com for continuing coverage of the third Republican debate and Donald Trump’s upcoming rally.
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