Republicans vying for their party’s presidential nomination have another opportunity to square off against most of their rivals in Wednesday night’s debate, hosted by NBC News.
Here’s what you need to know.
Follow MSNBC’s live blog coverage of the third GOP debate here.
How can I watch the debate?
The two-hour debate begins at 8 p.m. ET and will take place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. The full event will air live on NBC. You can also watch it live on NBCNews.com and NBC News’ streaming service, NBC News NOW. It will air with real-time translations on Noticias Telemundo’s website and the cable channel Universo.
You can follow along on MSNBC.com’s live blog on Wednesday for the latest debate updates and expert analysis in real time.
The Republican National Committee has partnered with Rumble, a video-sharing platform that has been criticized for far-right and conspiracy-laden content, to livestream the debate.
Which candidates are debating?
Candidates had to reach certain requirements set by the RNC to qualify for the debate, including netting at least 4% in certain polls and pledging to support the eventual GOP nominee.
Six candidates made the cut, but only five are expected to take the debate stage: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
What about Trump?
The GOP primary front-runner qualified for the debate but is sitting it out, as he did for the first two. Instead, the former president, fresh off of a contentious court appearance in his New York civil fraud trial, will speak at a rally in nearby Hialeah, Florida, at 7 p.m. ET.
“NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker and radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt will moderate the debate. All three are veteran debate moderators. With the primary field whittling down, candidates will be aiming to set themselves apart even more, especially in matters of policy. Expect ugly rhetoric from the candidates on the Israel-Hamas war. The second debate took place roughly a week before Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel and Israel’s relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip in response, and most of the candidates will likely be vying to position themselves as the most pro-Israel of the bunch. Haley had standout moments in both the first and second debates and will likely be seeking to replicate that performance. DeSantis, on the other hand, has struggled to make a mark for himself in the debates so far, which he desperately needs to do as he continues to struggle in the polls. His awkward mannerisms on the debate stage and the campaign trail have also been scrutinized and mocked, which likely does not help his case.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News. Recommended
Who is moderating?
What should I watch out for?
