This Wednesday is the fourth debate of their party’s 2024 presidential nomination contest amongst four Republican contenders.
WHERE IS IT Located?
It starts at 7 p.m. local time (0100 GMT) at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Megyn Kelly Show on Sirius XM, the conservative political publication the Washington Free Beacon, the subscription television network News Nation, and the well-liked video hosting service Rumble among conservatives will all serve as its hosts.
After the first three debates were held by major news networks Fox and NBC, the session, which will be aired on television news channel NewsNation and streamed on Rumble, constitutes somewhat of an experiment by the Republican National Committee.
Due to its strong Republican majority, Alabama won’t be competitive in the general election in 2024. On March 5, it does, however, have a comparatively early primary contest.
PERSONS ARE ARRIVING?
The Republican National Committee has announced that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (who is running for second in the primary), software entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will be appearing on stage.
Given that he leads the field by more than 40 percentage points, according to the majority of surveys, the debate will have less relevance because former president Donald Trump will not be present. Trump has stayed away from every prior debate, arguing that the party should focus on the general election instead.
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who was eligible for the third debate, has withdrawn.
Trump will host a private fundraiser in place of counter-programming with a public event, unlike the previous debates.
IS THE DEBATE IMPORTANT?
In the end, Trump won’t be present, so any contender hoping to win the nomination will have to gradually reduce his enormous lead. The primary campaign’s first competition, the Iowa Caucuses, is scheduled for January 15.
In most national surveys, DeSantis leads Haley; however, in the early nominating states of South Carolina and New Hampshire, Haley leads DeSantis by a significant margin. While DeSantis has stagnated, she has been rising in opinion polls for several months.
Should one candidate exhibit exceptional performance, it may enable them to break the impasse and start building support from Republicans who want to go past Trump. However, the significance of debates has fluctuated over time, and even a strong performance does not ensure that the competition for second place will change.
