The debate, hosted by NBC News, will take place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and will be broadcast from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time.
This will be the smallest lineup of candidates on stage. This time, only five candidates met the qualification rules of the Republican National Committee: former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswami, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who participated in the first two debates, did not qualify this time. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who participated in the first debates, also failed to qualify for these last two events. And former Vice President Mike Pence will not be on the stage tonight after recently dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
However, like in the two previous debates, Trump plans some counterprogramming. During the debates, he will hold a rally in nearby Hialeah, Florida. Hialeah is an area with a significant Cuban-American population, and it's a demographic group where Trump performed very well. In 2020, he exceeded expectations, especially among Latino voters in South Florida.
As for potential alternatives to Trump, all eyes are expected to be on Nikki Haley. She has consistently been gaining support in polls. Much of her momentum started with standout performances in the debates. There were high hopes that DeSantis might fulfill this role, but his pre-campaign has had its share of stumbling blocks, and in recent debates, he has delivered rather lackluster performances.
These will be the first debates since Israel came under attack by Hamas on October 7th. The response to Israel and how President Biden is handling the crisis is bound to come up as a topic. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, in a statement ahead of tonight's event, said the party is working with the Republican Jewish Coalition and expects the candidates to reaffirm the Republican Party's unwavering support for Israel on stage.
NBC's Lester Holt and Kristen Welker will moderate the debates along with Hugh Hewitt from the Salem Radio Network. NBC News will air the debates live on television, online, and on their streaming platforms.
