5 Republicans Qualify for Next Presidential Debate
The third Republican primary debate will take place tonight, broadcast by NBC News at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida.
To qualify, candidates needed to reach at least four per cent in two national polls, or four per cent in one national poll and four per cent in two early primary states.
They also need 70,000 individual donors, including 200 donors in 20 states, according to the requirements set by the Republican National Committee (RNC).
Five candidates have qualified for the showdown – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, biotech entrepreneur and woke-bashing author Vivek Ramaswamy, former UN Ambassador and ex-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Former President Donald Trump has also qualified but has said that, like the first two debates, he won’t attend. He will instead hold a rally in Hialeah, Florida, not far from Miami, as a form of counter-programming.
Follow live for the latest updates as the showdown at 8pm draws nearer.