Republican Party candidates for the 2024 US presidential election will take the stage on Wednesday for a fourth debate after tense exchanges on immigration, abortion and the Israeli war against Gaza during previous debates.
The debates are an opportunity for candidates to competition Everyone’s opinions before the primary elections determine the face of the Republican Party in the US presidential election scheduled for January 15, 2024.
Four Republican candidates are vying to be the party’s nominees, along with former U.S. President Donald Trump remaining the favorite according to opinion polls. Trump, who has a 40 percentage point lead in the race, has not participated in any debates so far.
Here’s what to expect from the fourth Republican debate.
When and where is it?
The debate will take place on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (0100 GMT) at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is a solidly Republican-leaning state and gaining support there will be vital for any presumptive party nominee.
Who hosts and broadcasts the debate?
The debate is hosted by NewsNation, a subscription television network, alongside conservative political news outlet The Washington Free Beacon and The Megyn Kelly Show on Sirius XM. The debate will also take place on Rumble, a video hosting service popular with conservatives.
NewsNation will stream the debate live on its website and broadcast it on television news channels, while Rumble will broadcast it natively – unlike the first three debates which were hosted by major news networks Fox and NBC.
Several individuals from the host organizations will moderate the discussion, including Elizabeth Vargas, anchor of NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports; Megyn Kelly, host of The Megyn Kelly Show; and Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief of the Washington Free Beacon.
Who will participate?
Candidate dropouts and Trump’s clear stance not to participate have left the battle between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former United States ambassador at the United Nations Nikki Haley, technology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina was present until the third debate but dropped out four days later on November 13.
Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota, failed to qualify for the fourth debate and then dropped out of the race entirely on Monday.
While Trump leads the way, DeSantis and Haley are competing for second place in the primary election polls. Primary elections take place in the run-up to a presidential election and allow voters to indicate their preferred party’s candidate. Primary elections are organized by political parties.
How are debate participants chosen?
The Republican National Committee (RNC) determines the speakers in each debate by checking whether they meet certain predetermined criteria.
This debate required participants to have a minimum of 80,000 unique donors, of which at least 200 must come from 20 states or territories. Candidates also had to score at least 6 percent in a specific set of national qualifying polls.
Per the terms of previous debates, candidates were also required to sign the “Defeat Biden” pledge, promising to support the eventual presidential nominee.
Burgum, who only qualified for the first two debates, denounced the RNC’s toughening criteria for debates in order to “take the power of democracy away from the engaged and thoughtful citizens of Iowa and New Hampshire”, the first two states on the primary calendar.
The RNC’s requirements for clubhouse debates nationalize the primary process and take away the power of democracy from the engaged, thoughtful citizens of Iowa and New Hampshire.
None of their debate criteria concerns the qualifications linked to the effective exercise of the work of…
– Doug Burgum (Text “DOUG” to 70177) (@DougBurgum) December 4, 2023
Why isn’t Trump participating in the debate?
Trump can already build on a solid lead in the polls and has also said the party should focus on the general election.
Additionally, he refused to sign the “Beat Biden” pledge or support any other candidate.
In previous debates, he has held his own public events as an alternative, but this time he will participate in a fundraiser in Florida.
Is the debate important?
The debate takes place in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses on January 15, 2024 – the first election of the primary elections.
Because of Trump’s strong lead in the polls and the debates’ lack of historical impact on recasting the race, the candidates have narrow room to maneuver.
DeSantis is ahead of Haley in most national surveys, but has stalled while Haley has been rising in opinion polls in recent months.
Ramaswamy made a mark in his first debate but has since slipped in opinion polls.
