The 3rd GOP-sponsored Presidential Debate is set to commence on November 8 in Miami, Florida, with stricter participation thresholds in place. Notably, former US President Donald Trump is expected to skip the event, and former Vice President Mike Pence has dropped out. Meanwhile, other candidates remain uncertain about meeting the new qualifying criteria, which has resulted in a reduced field of candidates for the debate.
Several prominent Republican presidential hopefuls were initially slated to square off at the third primary debate in Miami at 8 p.m. However, following Mike Pence's exit from the race, and some candidates' hesitance in confirming their qualification, there will be fewer participants on stage, as reported by the media.
Leading the pack is former President Donald Trump, who is once again not expected to participate. Trump has established a considerable lead in the Republican National Committee (RNC) primaries race for the nomination, and he will instead hold his own rally near the debate venue in Miami.
NBC is set to host the two-hour debate, broadcasting it on the network's television, streaming, and digital platforms. The moderator panel will include "Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt, "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker, and conservative-leaning Hugh Hewitt, who hosts "The Hugh Hewitt Show" on Salem Radio Network.
As of now, five Republican candidates have reportedly qualified for the third debate according to their campaigns. These candidates include former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. However, the RNC has yet to officially confirm their status as qualified candidates.
The qualifications for this third debate are notably more rigorous compared to the previous ones. Candidates are now required to secure at least 4% of the vote in multiple polls and gather support from 70,000 unique donors. Additionally, all candidates must pledge their support for the party's eventual 2024 nominee to be eligible for participation. These requirements must be met no later than 48 hours before the debate.
In contrast, the second debate had lower thresholds, with candidates needing to reach at least 3% in two national polls or 3% in one national poll and 3% in two polls from different early nominating states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada) to qualify. They were also required to have at least 50,000 unique donors, as reported by USA Today.
Former President Trump had skipped the first two debates, citing his substantial lead in polling as a reason for his absence, and he is expected to continue this trend by not participating in the third debate.
"President Trump's statement was that he would not attend the debates," adviser Chris LaCivita said in the days following the second debate.
His campaign urged the RNC to cancel the third debate, saying the party should focus on defeating Democrats in 2024 instead.
Trump's campaign managers announced on Thursday they will counter the debate with a rally in Hialeah, Florida, as well as a "Team Trump Spin Room".
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once a top favourite of the GOP, mocked Trump to join the Republican debate even if he needed a teleprompter.
"I'm willing to allow him to bring his teleprompter to the debate if that's what he wants to do, and we will just do it like that. But he should be on that stage in Miami and subsequent debates," DeSantis said in absolute sarcasm of his former boss.
Many Republicans feel Trumps has too much legal baggage to carry before the 2024 elections and yet in polls he leads all others.
(With Agency Inputs)
ALSO READ | UN Ambassadors Witness Screening of Oct 7 Hamas Massacre
