That concludes the Washington Examiner’s live coverage of the first GOP primary debate. Click here to follow along with the latest updates related to our debate coverage and other 2024 election stories.

MIAMI — Former President Donald Trump may not have been center stage, but he and foreign policy were at the center of the 2024 Republican primary‘s third debate.

With Republicans reeling from this week’s off-year elections, the five candidates — Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) — criticized Trump and each other with a greater sense of urgency, two months before Iowa‘s first-in-the-nation caucuses and as the former president maintains his stranglehold on the party.

Click here to read the Washington Examiner’s winners and losers for Wednesday night in Miami:

The third Republican presidential primary debate, which took place in Miami on Wednesday night, was the best one so far.

The NBC moderators may have lingered too long on foreign policy during the first hour of the debate, but their questions weren’t the biased gotcha questions that we’ve come to expect from their organization, and more importantly, the moderators didn’t let the debate get out of hand by letting the candidates speak whenever they wanted.

Perhaps most importantly, though, there were also fewer candidates. This meant more time for each candidate to respond and fewer possibilities for distracting sideshows. (Although we did still get some of those anyway, including something about high-heel ammunition.)

GOP candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley refused to shake hands after the primary debate concluded on Wednesday night after the pair exchanged several tense remarks and fiery criticisms.

The two shook hands with the other candidates onstage, but Ramaswamy was seen walking past Haley to exit the stage without acknowledging her. As he walked past, Haley headed in the opposite direction to shake hands with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) instead.

The moment comes after Ramaswamy and Haley traded several barbs onstage, including a moment where the former South Carolina governor called her opponent “scum” for invoking her daughter during one of his answers.

Meanwhile, Ramaswamy hit out against Haley on several issues, resulting in several tense exchanges where the two candidates talked over one another.

Even after the debate was over, Vivek Ramaswamy continued to throw swipes at fellow candidate Nikki Haley, accusing the former U.N. ambassador of representing “everything that’s wrong with American politics.”

“When you have people who benefit from their relationships of the companies whose backs they’ve scratched, like Boeing, while governor … this is the kind of behavior that we need to ban,” Ramaswamy told reporters after the debate, referring to Haley’s nomination to the board of Boeing in 2019 after she stepped down as U.N. ambassador.

Ramaswamy then challenged Haley to release the list of clients of Allied Defense LLC, a company in South Carolina that Haley’s husband has a connection with, as well as a detailed report of her tax returns over the last 20 years.

“I’ve done that in this campaign,” he said. “Why can’t somebody else who’s made money off their time in government do the same thing?”

The third GOP presidential debate has concluded in Miami.

The two-hour event saw the five candidates spar with one another as they attempted to establish themselves as the best contender to take on former President Donald Trump, who held his own event just 30 minutes away during the national event.

Candidates will meet again for a fourth debate on Dec. 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Vivek Ramaswamy ended his closing statement with a biting challenge to the Democratic Party: Say President Joe Biden won’t be the party’s nominee in 2024.

“End this farce that Joe Biden is going to be your nominee,” he said. “We know he’s not even the president of the United States.”

Instead, Ramaswamy accused the Democrats of harboring plans for a secret nominee to be chosen once Republicans have their own, decrying those alleged efforts as hindering candidates from having “an honest debate.”

“Biden should step aside and end his candidacy now so we can see whether it’s [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom or Michelle Obama or whoever else” that will be the nominee, he said.

Former President Donald Trump has left room to his right on abortion ahead of the Iowa caucuses. But seeing election results like last night’s, some of his rivals are hesitant to occupy that space.

The two most anti-Trump Republicans on the stage, Nikki Haley implicitly and Chris Christie overtly, took the most Trump-like position on abortion: It was right to overturn Roe, but abortion restrictions need to be pursued incrementally and mostly at the state level.

With former Vice President Mike Pence gone, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is most clearly advocating federal restrictions. But Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) had a good story and also a record of signing a six-week ban in the swing state of Florida.

While former President Donald Trump proudly pledges not to reform entitlements, Nikki Haley has boldly called out such a pledge for what it really is: allowing Social Security and Medicare to collapse and drive our debt-to-GDP ratio to the highest point in our nation’s history.

When, not if, Social Security hits insolvency, likely in 2033, that will trigger an automatic, across-the-board 23% benefit cut. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found this translates to a $17,400 benefit cut for a typical newly retired dual-income couple. When Medicare goes broke in 2031, scheduled benefits for hospital expenses will fall by 11%. By 2047, that spending cut would reach 19% of the current baseline.

Abortion emerged as a top concern for voters who went to the polls on Tuesday, becoming a key campaign message that Democrats were able to use to notch a number of key wins nationwide.

Now Republicans are seeking to seize on the issue, with all candidates on the debate stage declaring themselves as anti-abortion.

Ron DeSantis vowed he would “stand for a culture of life,” hitting Democrats as extreme by claiming the party wants to protect abortion “all the way up until birth.” Tim Scott called himself “100% pro-life” who would advocate for a 15-week federal abortion limit. Meanwhile, Chris Christie said it should be decided by the states.

Nikki Haley, the only woman on the stage, cited her personal experience with childbirth and declared herself as “unapologetically pro-life.” But the former South Carolina governor acknowledged Congress must come to a bipartisan agreement on when to “ban late-term abortions” while making contraception and other reproductive care resources readily available.

Vivek Ramaswamy sought to paint abortion not as a “men’s rights versus women’s rights” but rather as a “human rights” concern. The entrepreneur instead emphasized policy should focus on the “sexual responsibility for men” when a woman gets pregnant.

Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Nikki Haley hit out against Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) voting record on abortion, criticizing the South Carolina senator for promoting a 15-week federal abortion ban while failing to support similar legislation in the Senate earlier this year.

Scott challenged Haley to offer her support for a 15-week federal ban, prompting the former South Carolina governor to press the senator to “be honest with the American people.”

“I appreciate that Tim keeps calling me out for this,” Haley said. “But there was a bill last year [Sen.] Lindsey Graham sponsored. You didn’t even co-sponsor the bill. And then when you first were interviewed on this, when you first ran, you wouldn’t even say you’re for” a 15-week ban.

Disappointing answer from everyone on the border. Lack of technology, money, and border agents aren’t the problem.

The problem is Biden’s catch-and-release policy. End catch and release and the migrants will stop coming. Then border agents can stop processing illegal immigrants into the country and start catching drug smugglers again.

Candidates were also questioned on their stances on how to address entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, which are predicted to become depleted over the next decade if reforms aren’t made.

Chris Christie said part of his approach would be looking to raise the retirement age as well as eligibility for the program. The former New Jersey governor maintained the program was created as a “safety net” to ensure “no one would grow old in this country in poverty,” arguing the country should ensure no one takes advantage of the program.

Nikki Haley has also expressed an interest in raising the retirement age, although she did not specify how high the threshold should be raised. Vivek Ramaswamy floated an idea that would run the entitlement programs like a CEO by implementing budget cuts to help pay for the services.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) vowed to “protect Social Security,” noting his plan would focus on “grow[ing] the economy” by cutting taxes and returning federal spending numbers to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) also vowed to protect Social Security benefits for seniors, noting he would work on tackling inflation and the rising costs of living. He didn’t explicitly say whether he’d raise the retirement age, but he noted that “life expectancy in the United States is declining” and said that’s just “one thing to peg” Social Security on.

The five Republican presidential candidates who participated in Wednesday’s debate all expressed nearly unconstrained support for Israel amid its war with Hamas.

“I would be telling [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] finish the job once and for all with these butchers,” Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said during the debate.

His statement of support for Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, the terrorist group and de facto government of Gaza, which carried out the worst terrorist attacks in the country’s history on Oct. 7, was similar to remarks made by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)

Click here to read more.

GOP candidates were pressed on their stances regarding the Chinese-owned app TikTok and whether they consider the social media platform a national security threat.

Here’s where the candidates stand:

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he would ban the app during “week one” as president. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) also pledged to ban the app.

Vivek Ramaswamy said that as president he would move toward blocking companies from turning over data to China but did not commit to a ban. Ramaswamy has been criticized by some candidates, such as Nikki Haley, for using the app.

Haley didn’t make it clear where she stands on TikTok, using her speaking time to respond to a previous question during which other candidates criticized her foreign policy stance on China.

Vivek Ramaswamy is often seen as a human shield for former President Donald Trump in these Trump-less debates, and we saw some of that Wednesday night. The question is whether he also inadvertently did the same for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).

Ramaswamy and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley have gone at it each time Republicans have debated. She clearly does not like him very much.

This has largely allowed DeSantis to remain above the fray. Maybe that isn’t a good thing for the Florida governor. He needs to make up ground against Trump, and he has seen the assertive Haley instead.

But one thing GOP viewers have said they have liked about DeSantis’s performances up until now is that he attacks fellow Republicans sparingly. He has been able to do that again tonight.

Through all three debates, Haley has been the candidate who most often insists on the need to rein in spending and debt.

Tonight, she offered a series of specifics about the first things she would do to stop the overspending — clawing back unspent COVID-19 funds, vetoing appropriations bills that don’t return to pre-COVID-19 spending levels, and the like. She also had the courage to talk about reforms to entitlements.

She is absolutely right on all counts.

Nikki Haley offered harsh words to Vivek Ramaswamy after the two candidates clashed over a question about TikTok.

Ramaswamy hit out against Haley for sidestepping a question on whether she’d ban TikTok as president, with the entrepreneur accusing Haley of criticizing him for “joining TikTok while her own daughter was actually on the app for a long time.”

“So you might want to take care of your family first,” he said.

“Leave my daughter out of your voice,” Haley shot back as Ramaswamy continued his attack against the South Carolina governor. “You’re just scum.”

Pretty amazing to watch an ad for TikTok during the commercial break just to see a question on the banning of TikTok when they came back from break.

It is way past time for Congress to ban TikTok.

In the first debate, Vivek Ramaswamy took cheap shots at all the other candidates. In the second, he fell over himself to say how much he liked the others.

Now he is back to cheap shots, insulting them with half-truths, for no good reason, and trying to out-angry the absent Donald Trump. He’s a fake man, a demagogue. He has no business being in this race.

Another strong answer from DeSantis, this time on China. From the rebuilding of the fleet to kicking China out of Florida, DeSantis has the record to back it up.

The moderators should have let Haley respond to DeSantis’s attacks on her business dealings with China.

Former President Donald Trump made a cameo appearance at the third Republican presidential debate, then quickly disappeared.

No, Trump wasn’t on the stage. But the first question was why the five candidates on the stage should be the Republican nominee instead. All of them, except for Vivek Ramaswamy, took their shots, with DeSantis attacking the GOP culture of losing.

But it didn’t take long for the debate to revert to the candidates who were there to start hitting each other instead. Ramaswamy’s exchanges with Nikki Haley could be read as a proxy war over Trump’s “America First” policy.

But the GOP front-runner was mostly unscathed in the early going of the latest RNC debate.

Although the NBC News anchors moderating the third Republican presidential debate wanted the participating candidates to begin the night focusing on former President Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy instead aimed his fire elsewhere, eviscerating Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel at the start of her own circus.

If anything, Ramaswamy understated the rot of the RNC under McDaniel’s leadership or lack thereof. Republicans indeed suffered humiliating losses in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023. But Republicans also lost a Senate seat in Alabama in 2017, two out of three gubernatorial races in 2019, and both Senate seats in the 2021 Georgia runoff elections.

Click here to read more.

Nikki Haley shot back at Vivek Ramaswamy over his criticism of her foreign policy platform, accusing the entrepreneur of being a candidate that Russia and China would like to see in the White House.

“I am telling you, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and President Xi [Jinping of China] are salivating at the thought that someone like that could become president,” Haley said.

Her comments come in response to Ramaswamy’s criticism of Haley’s support to continue supporting Ukraine as it fights off a Russian invasion.

Vivek Ramaswamy repeated his calls to cease financial assistance to Ukraine amid its war against Russia, telling moderators on Wednesday he is “absolutely unpersuaded” to fulfill requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Ukraine is not a paragon of democracy,” Ramaswamy said. “It has threatened not to hold elections this year unless the U.S. forks over more money. That is not democratic. It has celebrated a Nazi in its ranks: The comedian in cargo pants, a man called Zelensky, doing it in their own ranks. That is not democratic.”

Strong answer by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on dealing with antisemitism on college campuses. He has the record to back it up, too.

Vivek Ramaswamy hit out against fellow GOP candidate Nikki Haley over her foreign policy stances, referring to the former United Nations ambassador as a “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels.”

“You have the likes of Nikki Haley who stepped down from her time at the U.N. bankrupt,” he said. “Then she becomes a military contractor. She joins the board of Boeing … and is now a multimillionaire.”

“That’s the choice we face: Do you want a leader from a different generation who is going to put this country first, or do you want a Dick Cheney in three-inch heels?”

Ramaswamy then added: “In which case we’ve got two of them onstage tonight,” referring to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who has become the target of jokes and criticism over claims he wears height-boosting lifts inside his cowboy boots.

Haley hit back against Ramaswamy’s criticism, noting she doesn’t wear heels “for a fashion statement. They’re for ammunition.”

“First, I’d like to say they are five-inch heels,” she said, “and I don’t wear them unless you can run in them.”

Former President Donald Trump has taken the stage at Ted Hendricks Stadium in Hialeah, Florida, just 30 minutes outside of Miami, where five of his competitors are taking the stage in the third GOP presidential debate.

The counterprogramming marks the third time Trump has opted not to participate in the candidate debates despite meeting all of the criteria set out by the Republican National Committee.

Click here to watch Trump’s rally live.

Vivek Ramaswamy says what everyone in the Republican Party is thinking about GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. He had the guts to open the debate and call her out for her failures, and rightfully so. He should be applauded for doing so.

The GOP clearly needs new leadership, and as chairwoman, McDaniel is to blame.

Kudos to Ramaswamy for being a political newcomer but highlighting something that needed to be said so Republicans can stop being a “party of losers.”

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy came out swinging in his first remarks on the debate stage Wednesday night, using part of his time to criticize Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel for her tenure as a GOP leader.

Ramaswamy specifically hit McDaniel over the election results from Tuesday night, during which Republicans fared worse than expected and Democrats were able to notch key wins across the country.

“I think there’s something deeper going on in the Republican Party here, and I am upset about what happened last night. We have become a party of losers,” Ramaswamy said.

In response, the political newcomer called on McDaniel to resign from her top position within the RNC, arguing Republicans needed “to have accountability in our party.”

“Ronna, if you want to come onstage tonight, you want to look the GOP voters in the eye and tell them you resign — I will turn over my — yield my time to you,” he said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) was the first to throw a punch at Donald Trump on the debate stage, partially blaming the former president for the GOP’s worse-than-expected performance on election night on Tuesday.

DeSantis hit Trump for being absent on the stage, marking the third primary debate the former president has skipped so far this year. Instead, the Florida governor pointed to his strength during the 2022 midterms, lamenting that he is “sick of Republicans losing in Florida.”

“He owes it to you to be on this stage and explain why he should get another chance,” DeSantis said. “He should explain why he didn’t have Mexico pay for the border wall. He should explain why he racked up so much debt. He should explain why he didn’t drain the swamp.”

“He said Republicans were gonna get tired of winning,” he added. “Well, we saw last night — I’m sick of Republicans losing in Florida.”

The candidates have taken the stage in Miami, Florida, where the GOP contenders will face off in their third primary debate for the Republican nomination.

Five candidates will appear at the event: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The debate is being hosted by NBC News and will last from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, offered opening remarks at the third GOP presidential debate — touting the party’s progress among Hispanic voters and other key groups ahead of the 2024 election despite growing criticism after Republicans worse-than-expected performance on Tuesday night.

“We made huge strides with Hispanic voters, and we’re gonna continue to invest so that we can earn more votes so we can take back the White House in 2024,” McDaniel said ahead of the debate. “We are all excited. We’re excited to beat Joe Biden.”

Her comments come as a handful of Republicans have called on McDaniel to resign from the top position within the RNC, especially after Democrats made huge gains across the country in Tuesday’s elections.

“It’s time to move on from [McDaniel] if we want to take back the white house in 2024!” George Santos posted on X. “What a disaster!”

“Ron DeSanctus, High Heels University.” “Chris Christie, Golden Corral State.” “Vivek Ramaswamy, Donald Trump fan club.”

That’s not how Republican candidates will want to be introduced when they take the stage on Wednesday night, but that’s exactly what the Trump campaign hopes voters will remember.

In a video posted an hour before the debate was scheduled to begin, the Trump campaign mocked all five candidates who qualified for the event. The video presents the candidates similarly to NFL introductions that are played at the beginning of football games in which players state their names and which college they attended.

The Trump video hits each of the candidates with criticism of some facet of their campaign platform, whether it’s low polling numbers or their foreign policy stances.

“Tim Scott, I’m just happy to be here,” the video reads off for the South Carolina senator.

“Nikki ‘Birdbrain’ Haley, Bush War Crime Institute,” it states for the former U.N. ambassador who served under the former president.

NBC News will host the third GOP presidential debate on Wednesday night, marking the first primary debate not hosted by Fox News.

Much of the content from the first two debates earlier this year was at risk of being overshadowed by the candidates sparring and often yelling over each other to make a point. To change that, NBC News will operate under different rules to keep the event on track.

Candidates will be given 90 seconds to answer questions, an increase from the 60 seconds given to them in the previous debates. Candidates will also have a full minute for follow-up answers, up from the 30 seconds granted at earlier debates.

However, candidates will not be entitled to a response or follow-up answer just because another candidate attacked them or referred to them by name in their answer, a change from Fox rules that often led to tense back-and-forths. Such responses will only be granted by the moderators at their discretion.

Republican presidential candidates will meet on the stage at 8 p.m. in Miami to face off in the third GOP debate, which will be hosted by NBC News.

There will be three moderators leading the debate, including NBC anchors Lester Holt and Kristen Welker, as well as conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Holt and Welker have experience moderating presidential debates in recent years, with Holt the sole moderator for former President Donald Trump‘s first debate against then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in September 2016, and Welker did the same for Trump’s final debate against Joe Biden in October 2020.

Hewitt previously helped moderate three GOP primary debates during the 2016 cycle.

As Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) takes the stage at the third GOP debate, he’ll be joined by more than 20 Jewish college and high school students who are attending the event as the South Carolina senator’s guests.

Scott will host Jewish students from the University of South Carolina and the University of Miami and high schoolers from a local South Florida high school, according to his campaign.

“As hate and antisemitism proliferate on college campuses across our country, it is more important than ever to educate the minds of our next generation with thoughtful debate and discussion,” Scott said in a statement. “I look forward to sharing my optimistic vision for our country with these students and all Americans. Together, we will stand against hate and lead our nation into the next American century.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition is one of the partners of Wednesday’s debate, marking the first time a Jewish organization has co-sponsored a national debate, according to the group.

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is projecting confidence ahead of the third GOP debate on Wednesday night, with his campaign team telling viewers they could expect to see microphones get cut off during the event.

“He’s going to make people on that debate stage uncomfortable, and they’re going to get mad,” Tricia McLaughlin, Ramaswamy’s campaign communications director, told Meet The Press ahead of the debate. “He’s ready and he’s not going to hold back.”

If Ramaswamy sticks to that strategy, it could bring a different dynamic to the stage than what voters saw during the second debate in September when the political newcomer became the most frequently attacked candidate compared to his opponents. Ramaswamy endured the most attacks from fellow candidate Nikki Haley, who clashed with the entrepreneur over his foreign policy stances and his business ties to China.

His strategy for this debate?

“He’s going to be unconstrained,” McLaughlin said.

A Trump-aligned social media account mocked Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) just hours before the third GOP presidential debate, hitting the Florida governor over allegations he wears lifts inside his cowboy boots to make himself appear taller.

DeSantis’s campaign sent an email to supporters ahead of the debate touting a crucial endorsement he received earlier this week.

“Ron DeSantis will enter the third GOP debate on the heels of a historic endorsement from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds,” the missive reads in part.

“On the high heels?” the Trump War Room posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, attaching a photo of DeSantis’s cowboy boots that he often wears to campaign events.

Several other Republican candidates have hit out against DeSantis over the allegations of his height-boosting boots, including GOP candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who took a jab at the governor last week.

“I’ve always talked about my high heels. I’ve never … hid that from anybody,” Haley said on The Daily Show. “I’ve always said: Don’t wear them if you can’t run in them. So we’ll see if he can run in them.”

DeSantis has repeatedly denied claims that he wears lifts in his boots.

Alex Brandon/AP

Robert Bigelow, the Republican real estate tycoon and largest individual donor to a pro-DeSantis PAC, indicated he’ll turn his support over to former President Donald Trump.

Bigelow, the founder of Budget Suites of America and Bigelow Aerospace, made a contribution of $20 million to Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s (R-FL) super PAC, Never Back Down, earlier this year, which was the biggest single donation to any 2024 GOP presidential candidate.

Click here to read the full story.

The Biden-Harris 2024 campaign is making its own display at the Republican presidential debate in Miami, featuring 1,000 “Dark Brandon” signs.

To bring the fight to the GOP directly, the campaign said it is placing 1,000 signs of “Dark Brandon,” which is a photo of President Joe Biden with red laser eyes, around the debate venue. The meme is a nickname for Biden in social media posts based on the anti-Biden phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” but the Democratic president’s campaign has adopted the meme to turn it in their favor as a joke.

“Team Biden-Harris is taking the fight to MAGA extremists wherever they are, including the Republicans running for president on an agenda of ripping away Americans’ fundamental freedoms,” campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “To Republicans running to strip away abortion rights, gut Social Security and Medicare, and undermine our democracy: You better watch out, Jack.”

Click here to read the full story.

The third GOP presidential debate will feature only five candidates, making it the smallest debate hosted by the Republican National Committee so far this year.

The slimmed-down field is due in part to the RNC implementing stricter requirements to qualify for the event as part of the committee’s efforts to narrow down the number of candidates onstage. The third debate sees a GOP primary field that has been nearly cut in half from the first debate, which featured eight candidates. The second GOP debate featured seven candidates.

The candidates who qualified for Wednesday night’s debate in Miami include Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

To narrow the field, the RNC required candidates to meet certain fundraising and polling criteria set by the committee. That includes securing at least 70,000 campaign donors, with at least 200 from 20 states or territories, and polling at least 4% among Republican voters in two national surveys. The polling requirement could be satisfied if a candidate polled at 4% in one national poll and two statewide polls so long as they are from the RNC’s list of early primary states.

Former President Donald Trump met both of those requirements but, as he did with the first two debates, opted not to participate in the debate. Instead, Trump will host a rally outside Miami at the same time as the event.

The third Republican primary debate is taking place in the shadow of this week’s off-year elections, a reminder of what is at stake for the GOP if the party keeps underperforming with voters.

With a renewed sense of urgency, the five qualifying candidates — Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) — have promised to draw contrasts between themselves and the race’s front-runner, former President Donald Trump.

Here are three things we’re watching:

(AP Photo)

DeSantis and Haley going head-to-head

DeSantis has long been viewed as Trump’s toughest challenger heading into the 2024 cycle, but the Florida governor has since hit a snag in voter enthusiasm and polling. Meanwhile, Haley has experienced a polling and fundraising bounce from the debates.

Candidates tying Trump to this week’s election results

Republicans had a worse-than-expected performance during election night on Tuesday, which is sure to be brought up to candidates during the debate. Haley is sure to hit on that as she has made electability central to her campaign, as well as DeSantis, who contends he is “prepared” to “fill the leadership vacuum in Washington by fighting the tough fights, delivering big wins, and leading our American Comeback.”

Foreign policy taking center stage

Foreign policy is poised to be discussed more than previous debates amid Israel‘s war on Hamas, particularly after Trump scrutinized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and praised the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah following the Oct. 7 attacks. That is likely to aid Haley, per Ed Lee, director of Emory University’s Alben W. Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue.

Click here to read more.

The Democratic National Committee rolled out a number of mobile billboards that are set to encircle the third GOP presidential debate in downtown Miami on Wednesday night, hitting candidates over their stances on key concerns such as abortion and the economy.

The billboards will be in both English and Spanish and specifically call out Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for their “extreme MAGA agendas.” The DNC will also set up mobile billboards to sit outside a separate rally held by former President Donald Trump at the same time as the debate.

“As Donald Trump and 2024 Republicans head to Florida for their next MAGA-off, we’re reminding voters that beyond the chaos and squabbling you’ll see tonight, the entire 2024 field is united around ripping away as many of our freedoms as they can.” DNC spokesman Marco Frieri said in a statement.

The billboards focus on key policies that helped hand Democrats a number of wins during election night on Tuesday, including abortion rights, which is expected to be a major talking point throughout the 2024 cycle.

Former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie released a short video featuring clips of him at previous debates ahead of the third GOP debate on Wednesday.

“Let’s go and try to win the damn thing,” Christie says in the ad before the screen fades to text saying, “Tonight 8 p.m. ET.”

Christie is one of five GOP candidates who will be on the debate stage tonight, with former President Donald Trump skipping the debate.

Several Republican candidates reacted to the bruising 2023 election for the GOP by providing a contrast to the current leadership of the Republican Party.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie blamed former President Donald Trump for Republican Daniel Cameron’s loss in the Kentucky gubernatorial election, saying it continues a pattern of losing from the GOP under Trump’s direction.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said his resounding win in Florida last year “shows a way forward for Republicans,” and he added that if nominated, he would “END the culture of losing that has infected our party.”

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley posted a video touting her campaign with the caption, “I’ve never lost a race, I’m not going to start now,” in a seeming nod to the Republican losses on Tuesday.

EXCLUSIVE — Never Back Down, the super PAC backing Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) 2024 presidential bid, is releasing an ad after Republicans saw significant losses across the country in Tuesday’s off-year statewide elections.

In a new ad titled “There’s Only One,” Never Back Down touts DeSantis as the only Republican presidential candidate who can win, reminding viewers that Florida was once a swing state but is now considered solidly red. The ad showcases DeSantis’s record as governor of Florida, noting how he reduced the state’s debt and removed prosecutors who were backed by organizations that received money from megadonor George Soros, among other accomplishments.

Click here to read more.

Former President Donald Trump blamed the “stench” of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as the reason for Republican Daniel Cameron losing the Kentucky gubernatorial election.

Cameron lost by nearly 5% to incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear in the heavily Republican state after basing his campaign around his endorsement from Trump. Trump claimed Cameron’s relationship with McConnell was “too much to bear” and that McConnell and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) are “Kryptonite for Republican Candidates” in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.

“Daniel Cameron lost because he couldn’t alleviate the stench of Mitch McConnell,” Trump said. “I told him early that’s a big burden to overcome. McConnell and Romney are Kryptonite for Republican Candidates. I moved him up 25 Points, but the McConnell relationship was ‘too much to bear.’ Tate Reeves, on the other hand, surged to a win for Governor in Mississippi after my involvement. Congratulations to Tate!”

Supporters of former President Donald Trump have begun to gather outside the venue where Trump will hold a rally an hour before the third GOP debate is scheduled to begin.

Trump has opted to skip the debate, as he did with the other two debates, and is instead holding a rally in Hialeah, Florida, at 7 p.m.

The former president has called for the Republican National Committee to cancel the debates, citing his poll numbers over the other candidates.

The third GOP presidential debate will air live on NBC News, which is different than the past two debates, aired by Fox News. NBC’s streaming and digital platforms, such as Peacock, will also air the debate.

Sling TV is offering a 50% off promotion for customers, which offers access to local NBC, Fox, and ABC affiliates, as well as ESPN and the NFL Network with the “Orange + Blue” tier plan. Customers can pay $30 instead of $60 per month to watch the debate and get access to other channels.

Peacock has plans that cost $6 per month, so those who do not have cable and want a cheaper option to watch the debate can create an account.

The debate will be held on Wednesday in Miami. It will air live at 8 p.m. and will be moderated by Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, and The Hugh Hewitt Show host Hugh Hewitt.

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