- The Republican National Committee (RNC) on Monday officially selected Miami as the host city for the third Republican presidential primary debate on November 8.
- Qualification requirements for candidates have been made more stringent compared to the second debate, including polling at 4 percent, obtaining contributions from 70,000 unique donors, and agreeing to support the party nominee.
- Currently, just four Republican candidates meet these requirements: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) on Monday officially announced Miami as the host city for the third Republican presidential primary debate, scheduled to take place on November 8.
The RNC is implementing elevated qualification requirements for the third debate, with participants needing to surpass 4 percent in specified national and early state polls. Candidates also must receive contributions from 70,000 unique donors — up from 50,000 compared to the last debate — and receive at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in at least 20 of those jurisdictions.
Further, candidates must sign pledges agreeing not to participate in non-RNC sanctioned debates for the remainder of the election cycle, pledging their support to the eventual party nominee, and signing an RNC data-sharing agreement.
The RNC also disclosed that it selected NBC News, Salem Radio Network, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and Rumble as operational partners.
“NBC News has a long history of fostering conversations with the leaders that seek to shape domestic politics and foreign policy,” said President of NBC News Editorial Rebecca Blumenstein. “For us, there is no higher responsibility. We look forward to continuing our leading reporting on the 2024 presidential race and spotlighting the issues that matter most to voters as they head to the polls.”
According to the outlined qualification standards, just four Republican candidates currently meet the participation requirements: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Former President Donald Trump, Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Trump’s participation in the debate remains uncertain following his decision to not appear in Milwaukee. A prior inquiry with his campaign for clarification on the matter was not answered. DeSantis, meanwhile, stands to gain an advantage in having the debate take place in his home state.
In a Fox News poll conducted following the first Republican primary debate, Trump further increased his lead in the race, garnering the support of 60 percent of Republican primary voters, up from 53 percent in the previous survey. DeSantis, meanwhile, saw a decline in support, dropping to 13 percent, while Ramaswamy trailed closely at 11 percent.
Haley stood at 5 percent, with Pence and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott at 3 percent each. Trump’s gains were found to come from various demographics, including women, voters under 45, White evangelicals, and White men without a college degree.
Moreover, 65 percent of GOP primary voters said they would ‘definitely support’ Trump. Ramaswamy and Haley were the only candidates besides Trump to see an increase in the percentage of voters saying they would definitely support them.
Miami confirmed as third GOP debate location, RNC tightens qualification requirements
