On Nov. 8, the third Republican presidential primary debate will take place in Miami and will air on television from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT. The debate is hosted by NBC, and the candidates are set to discuss a variety of issues important to the Republican Party.
The debates are called “GOP debates” in reference to the Republican Party’s traditional nickname, the “Grand Old Party.” As the Republicans contend with President Joe Biden’s potential reelection in 2024, the GOP debates can help narrow down the Republican presidential nominees to one that will later be selected at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee in July.
Candidates had until Nov. 6 to meet the requirements made by the Republican National Committee (RNC) in order to participate in the third debate. These requirements were stricter than the last debate on Sept. 27, consisting of polling and fund-raising criteria along with other signed pledges. The requirements tighten after each debate in order to funnel down the number of candidates who qualify for the eventual nomination.
“[Candidates must] have a minimum of 70,000 unique donors to candidate’s principal presidential campaign committee (or exploratory committee), with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories,” the Republican National Committee wrote in regards to the financial criteria for the third debate.
Only five out of seven candidates present at the last debate have satisfied the qualifications in order to participate, including Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott and Nikki Haley. All candidates except for entrepreneur Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Scott have been governors, with DeSantis being the current Florida governor and Christie and Haley being former governors of New Jersey and South Carolina respectively. These candidates will be positioned on stage according to polling, with the leading candidate in the center likely being DeSantis.
The qualifying outlier is Donald Trump. His absence from the past debates has not hindered his lead in the polls as the top Republican presidential candidate, nor has it obstructed his qualification for the third debate. Though he is a front-runner for the GOP nomination, he will not attend this debate, and his campaign team even issued a statement on Sept. 30 urging the RNC to call off future debates and instead “refocus its manpower” to fight President Biden.
At the last debate, candidates discussed a myriad of topics such as the increase in undocumented immigration, Biden’s appearance on the picket line of the United Auto Workers strike and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Candidates tomorrow are likely to be questioned by the moderators about similar topics, and the debaters may also discuss current events such as the Israel-Hamas conflict. Moderators typically reference recent news in most of their questions or ask candidates their opinions about the policies of both President Biden and former President Trump.
The debate will air on NBC and it will also be available online on NBC’s digital platforms. Students can tune into this debate and expect to garner a broader understanding of key Republican issues.
