The 2024 presidential debate is still far off, but the race is already heating up. Former president Donald Trump, the frontrunner, faces many challengers, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
The third Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election will be on Nov 8, 2023, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County in Miami, Florida. NBC News will host the debate in partnership with Salem Radio Network and the Republican Jewish Coalition. NBC will air it on their TV station along with their streaming and digital stations. It will also air on the Salem Radio Network and stream on Rumble.
The previous Republican debate was plagued with interruptions as moderators struggled to gain control over the candidates. It will likely happen again as the environment of this debate will be very politically charged.
Lester Holt and Kristen Welker of NBC News and conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt will moderate this debate. The moderators have said that they plan to focus on a wide range of topics. One key issue that is likely to be debated is foreign policy. The United States faces several challenges in the world today, including the wars in Ukraine and Israel, rising tensions with China, and climate change. The candidates will be asked about their plans to address these challenges.
To qualify for the debate, a candidate must hit specific criteria in a few categories, including being over 4% nationally in multiple polls, having over 70,000 unique donors from at least 20 states, and signing a pledge to support the Republican candidate for president next year regardless of who it is.
The following candidates have qualified for the third debate:
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum are still looking to meet all the criteria, while former President Donald Trump said he would not participate in any primary debate and has yet to give any indication that will change as he refuses to sign the Republican National Committee pledge.
However, the third Republican primary debate is one of the last opportunities for candidates to make their case to voters before the early voting states begin casting their ballots next January.