On Nov. 8, the day after many states hold off-year elections, the third Republican presidential debate will take place in Miami, and contenders will have to meet the toughest eligibility rules yet.
The Republican National Committee announced on Friday that in order to be allowed to take the stage, participating candidates needed to garner 4% of the vote in many polls as well as 70,000 unique donors. Inquiries concerning the debate’s moderator were not immediately answered by party officials.
The announcement of the gathering coincides with the GOP field’s broadening preparations for a second primary debate without its current front-runner. The former president, who also opted out of the first debate last month, has scheduled a meeting with current and past union members in Michigan rather than taking part in the debate on September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
The third debate’s requirements will be more difficult to fulfill than the second’s. According to the RNC, contenders must receive at least 3% in two national polls or 3% in one national poll and two surveys from each of the four early-voting states — South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Iowa — to qualify for the second debate. Additionally, the candidates for the White House need to have 50,000 distinct donors.
The Republican Party hasn’t officially announced the qualified candidates for the debate on Wednesday, but a number of campaigns have stated that their candidates have met the requirements, including former Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, biotech tycoon Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Vice President Mike Pence.
The participation of former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and North Dakota governor Doug Burgum in the second debate is questionable.
Higher-scoring candidates are positioned closer to the center of the stage in the order in which they appeared in RNC-approved polls.
Scott has suggested the RNC alter how it arranges the candidates for next week’s debate. Scott was second from the right edge of the stage during the first GOP debate last month. The Scott campaign claimed in a letter to Chair Ronna McDaniel that since the Iowa caucuses are the first step in the GOP primary process the following year, “Iowa polling results should be the main consideration for podium placement at the September debate.”
The RNC responded to Scott’s request by saying, “The debate committee has taken a very careful approach to the entire process, but we continue to welcome input from all candidates, partners, and stakeholders. We are excited to host another free-flowing and open debate forum in Simi Valley.