The major Republican presidential contenders are set to face off against one another in the third debate on Wednesday night, with fewer candidates battling to grab the spotlight amid tougher qualifying criteria.
Here are some key things to know about the debate.
What time does is start and where is it being held?
The latest debate is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern, in Miami. It will run for two hours.
Who will be on stage?
The Republican National Committee said Monday night that five candidates qualified: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. Former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner in polls, is skipping the debate, as he did with the first two.
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Former Vice President Mike Pence dropped out of the race in late October.
What are the qualifying criteria?
The RNC said participants must have nailed down 4% of the vote in multiple polls, and have 70,000 unique donors. They must also sign a pledge to support the eventual nominee.
The criteria are tougher than the last time around, when 50,000 unique donors were needed and the polling threshold was 3%.
How can I watch the debate?
NBC News, the host of the debate, will air the contest on its television, streaming and digital platforms, including streaming on NBCNews.com.
NBC said the moderators will be “Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt and “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, as well as Hugh Hewitt, who hosts his own show on Salem Radio Network. Rumble will also livestream the debate.
Salem Radio Network and the Republican Jewish Coalition are the RNC’s debate partners, the committee said.
Former Sen. Norm Coleman, who heads the Republican Jewish Coalition, cited the war between Israel and Hamas and said that “American strength and American resolve — and our candidates’ vision for America’s role in the world — are more important than ever.”
What is Trump doing instead of the debate?
Trump will again hold a competing event of his own, this time a rally in Hialeah, Fla. The rally begins at 7 p.m. Eastern.
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