Four presidential hopefuls will appear on the debate stage for the fourth Republican presidential primary debate, taking place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Wednesday, December 6.
The fourth debate had more stringent polling requirements, including garnering at least six percent in two qualifying national polls or six percent in two early-voting states, whether that be Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, or South Carolina. Additionally, to qualify for the debate, each candidate must achieve a minimum of 80,000 unique donors, having either 200 per state or covering at least 20 states.
While former President Donald Trump has dominated in poll after poll and leads the GOP field by double digits, he is not participating in the event and has repeatedly called on the Republican National Committee (RNC) to cancel further debates, citing his dominance in the polls. However, four of his competitors — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — will appear on the debate stage Wednesday night.
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“The fourth debate is another fantastic opportunity for our Republican candidates to share our winning agenda with the American people,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.
“President Reagan was the first sitting president to visit the University of Alabama nearly 40 years ago, just before cruising to a landslide victory in 1984, and I’m thrilled to return our conservative message to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night,” she added.
The debate will once again put DeSantis and Haley, who are essentially vying for second place, against each other on the national stage. Currently, DeSantis has the edge in Iowa over Haley, but Haley leads him in South Carolina and New Hampshire. Notably, Tuesday’s RealClearPolitics (RCP) average showed DeSantis descending to fourth in New Hampshire, behind Christie as well.
The news of the participants follows North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum formally suspending his presidential campaign. He also released a statement on X, criticizing the RNC’s debate requirements.
“The RNC’s clubhouse debate requirements are nationalizing the primary process and taking the power of democracy away from the engaged, thoughtful citizens of Iowa and New Hampshire,” he said.
“None of their debate criteria relate to the qualifications related to actually doing the job of the president,” he continued.
“This effort to nationalize the primary system is unhealthy for the future of the party, especially for a party which proclaims to value leadership from outside of Washington,” Burgum added.
The RNC’s clubhouse debate requirements are nationalizing the primary process and taking the power of democracy away from the engaged, thoughtful citizens of Iowa and New Hampshire.
None of their debate criteria relate to the qualifications related to actually doing the job of…
— Doug Burgum (Text "DOUG" to 70177) (@DougBurgum) December 4, 2023
The fourth debate, taking place on December 6, will see the RNC teaming up with NewsNation, The Megyn Kelly Show, the Washington Free Beacon, and Rumble.
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