The third Republican primary debate, set for Wednesday, will have fewer candidates onstage this time and, once again, no appearance by former President Donald Trump.
Former Vice President Mike Pence recently announced he was dropping out of the GOP race, saying, “This is not my time…. So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.”
Other candidates, such as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, have not qualified for the third GOP debate.
When Is the debate?
The debate begins at 8 p.m. EST.
What Channel Is Broadcasting the Debate?
The debate will air on NBC as well as the network’s streaming platform, Peacock. The moderators are Lester Holt, host of NBC’s Nightly News; Kristen Welker, host of NBC’s Meet the Press; and radio host Hugh Hewitt of the Salem Radio Network.
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Trump Skips Debate Again
After not attending the first two primary debates, some wondered if the former president would show up for the third. Trump previously cited his lead in polls as a reason to not attend the debates and even had an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson during one of them.
Trump’s campaign said last month that he will hold an event in Hialeah, Florida, an hour before the third debate starts.
Trump is dealing with several legal battles, including his civil fraud case in New York City, where he took the stand to testify this week. He has denied any wrongdoing in that case and the others against him.
Who Will Attend the GOP Debate?
The candidates at the third debate are former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
The candidates that qualified for the debate were announced by the Republican National Committee (RNC) this week.
“We are looking forward to our third debate in Miami, a welcome opportunity for our candidates to showcase our winning conservative agenda to the American people,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in the announcement.
She went on: “We are especially honored to be the first political party to partner with a Jewish organization for a debate in our partnership with the Republican Jewish Coalition, and our candidates will reaffirm the Republican Party’s unwavering support of Israel and the Jewish community on the stage Wednesday night.”
What Do the Polls Show?
A GOP primary tracking poll from Morning Consult showed on October 31 that Trump still holds a wide lead over the other candidates, with 61 percent.
Following behind him is DeSantis, with 13 percent, while both Haley and Ramaswamy stand at 7 percent. Christie and Scott have 3 percent and 2 percent , respectively.
Newsweek reached out for comment to the candidates attending the event via email and through their websites.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.