GOP presidential hopefuls are set to gather on the debate stage once again Wednesday, with a slightly smaller group of candidates.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) again raised the fundraising and polling thresholds to make it more difficult for candidates to qualify for the third debate. Candidates who wanted to make the debate stage needed to poll at 4 percent in two national polls, or 4 percent in one national poll and 4 percent in two polls from two early states.
White House hopefuls also had to meet new donor requirements, needing at least 70,000 unique donors, including 200 donors in 20 or more states each, to participate.
Former President Trump will not be in attendance, marking the third debate that he has skipped this primary season. He will instead hold a rally in Hialeah, Fla., which is expected to include Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), who endorsed the former president Monday.
When is the third GOP debate?
The third GOP presidential debate will take place Nov. 8 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County from 8-10 p.m. EST.
Who is hosting the debate?
NBC News will host the upcoming debate. NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker, “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, and radio host Hugh Hewitt will moderate the Wednesday night event.
The RNC also noted that it partnered with Salem Radio Network and the Republican Jewish Coalition for the debate.
Where can I watch it?
The debate will air live on NBC starting at 8 p.m. EST. It can be streamed on NBC News Now and NBCNews.com as well.
It will also be streamed on the Noticia Telemundo website and its social media platforms for real-time Spanish translations. The RNC said it will also partner with Rumble, a video sharing platform popular with conservatives, to live stream the debate.
Who will be on the stage?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have all qualified for the third debate.
This marks a slightly narrowed field, with two fewer candidates taking the stage than during the last debate in September. Former Vice President Mike Pence was on the stage for the second debate but has since dropped out of the race. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also qualified for the second debate, but he did not meet the requirements this time despite still being in the race.