1 year ago
224
Five Republican presidential candidates are set to take the stage in Miami on Wednesday night for the third debate of the 2024 GOP primary cycle, with pressure mounting and time running out to shake up the race.
But the candidates will once again be denied a shot at their biggest rival, former President Donald Trump, whose decision to skip each and every primary debate has not damaged his commanding lead in the polls.
The two-hour debate, hosted by NBC News, is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. Salem Radio Network and the Republican Jewish Coalition were selected as partners by the Republican National Committee.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott will participate in the debate.
With just five on stage, it's safe to expect a very different dynamic from the more crowded prior debates, which often devolved into a porridge of overlapping slogans and one-liners.
The churning battle for second place has birthed new rivalries: DeSantis and Haley have opened fire on each other ahead of the debate, with the ex-UN ambassador even offering a "debate preview" in the form of a campaign release panning the Florida governor as a liar.
As he did for the first two debates, Trump is seeking to upstage his opponents by counter-programming the event. He is scheduled to host a rally starting at 7 p.m. ET in nearby Hialeah, Florida, at Ted Hendricks stadium.
A battle for second place: No-show Trump still dominates the polls
Former US President and 2024 Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Trendsetter Engineering, Inc. in Houston, Texas, on November 2, 2023.
Mark Felix | AFP | Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump justified skipping the first two Republican debates by arguing that he saw no point in sharing the stage with candidates who trail him by wide margins.
Hours out from the third debate, that situation hasn't changed.
Average national polls of the primary race show that Trump's lead has only grown in recent months, in large part by cutting into the support for his top rival, DeSantis.
The Florida governor now faces an imminent threat from Haley to surpass him as the top non-Trump alternative.
Trump, meanwhile, has hosted fewer rallies than in his prior campaigns, and much of his recent coverage in the media has been focused on his legal troubles. But none of that appears to have damaged his standing in the polls — including in surveys of states that will be pivotal for the primary and the general election.
Recent polls from The New York Times and Siena College found Trump leading President Joe Biden in five major battleground states, triggering some anxiety among the current president's supporters that was only partly assuaged by strong Democratic showings in state elections Tuesday night.
Trump's team, meanwhile, has already declared that the primary is effectively over.
"Tomorrow's debate will be a dumping ground for every single loser candidate to foolishly fight for distant second place," Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a campaign email Tuesday.
— Kevin Breuninger
Polls show a two-person contest emerging between Haley and DeSantis
Former Governor from South Carolina and UN ambassador Nikki Haley looks on as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during the second Republican presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on September 27, 2023.
Robyn Beck | AFP | Getty Images
Polls and experts say the Republican primarily field is increasingly looking like a two-person contest between former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, to see who will challenge former President Donald Trump for the nomination.
After a lackluster spring, Haley has quickly risen to second place in polls of voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the first three states to hold primaries early next year.
The former South Carolina governor has surged 10 points in Iowa to tie DeSantis for second place, according to the latest NBC News/Des Moines Register poll. Iowa will hold the first GOP caucuses on Jan. 15. Haley has surpassed DeSantis in New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to recent polls.
Now she threatens to displace DeSantis as the GOP's preferred alternative to Trump.
Even so, Trump still holds a seemingly insurmountable lead over his rivals. The former president is skipping Wednesday's debate.
— Spencer Kimball
The 5 Republicans who qualified for the presidential primary debate
Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, left, and Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, during a break in the Republican primary presidential debate hosted by Fox Business Network in Simi Valley, California, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023.
Eric Thayer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Just five Republican candidates qualified and will participate in the Miami debate hosted by NBC News.
They are former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, the businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
Donald Trump, the former president, as the front-runner in the GOP nomination race more than qualified for the debate. But for the third time this election cycle he has declined to debate his opponents.
To qualify for the debate, the quintet that is participating had to have at least 70,000 unique donors garnered at least 4% in two national polls or one national and one early-state poll that met Republican National Committee requirements.
- Dan Mangan
A good night in Miami could boost Ron DeSantis' campaign fundraising
Republican U.S. presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis greets his supporters during the Never Back Down South Carolina Bus Tour at Revel Events Center in Greenville, South Carolina, U.S., October 4, 2023.
Alyssa Pointer | Reuters
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' debate performance in Miami could be a boost to his fundraising, already on the upswing since he was endorsed by Iowa GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds.
DeSantis, who raised over $15 million in the third quarter, could see an uptick in fundraising if he does well in the debate. The contest in Miami comes just days after Reynolds endorsed him over former President Donald Trump and other Republican primary contenders.
The latest debate for DeSantis comes at a time when a few of the Republican Party's wealthiest donors are opting not to help him, at least for now.
DeSantis has already seen previous big money supporters, such as Citadel CEO Ken Griffin and businessman Robert Bigelow, have each distanced themselves from the Florida's governor's bid for president. Griffin, a previous DeSantis donor, recently told CNBC that he's remaining on the sidelines for now of the 2024 presidential election.
Bigelow, who gave over $20 million to a pro-DeSantis super PAC, recently said in an interview with the Financial Times that he may end up backing Trump.
- Brian Schwartz
How to watch the Republican presidential debate
The stage is pictured during a media walkthrough ahead of the 3rd Republican presidential debate which will be held November 8 by NBC News in Miami, Florida, U.S., November 7, 2023.
Mike Segar | Reuters
Viewers can watch the debate starting at 8 p.m. ET on NBC TV channel. It will also be streamed live and for free on NBC News NOW, which is available on NBCNews.com, Peaock and other streaming services.
The showdown, hosted by NBC News, is being held in Miami at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.
The Salem Radio Network and the Republican Jewish Coalition are also partners in the event.
- Dan Mangan
English (US)