4th US Republican presidential debate: Who are the candidates? Who will attend? Where to watch?

Haley and DeSantis are vying to be the runner-up, but Trump is still the clear favourite to win the Republican nomination.

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 – This Wednesday is the fourth debate in their party’s 2024 presidential nomination race amongst four Republican contenders.

The following details pertain to the debate:

Where is it located?

the discussion is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (01:00 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 NewsNation, and the well-liked video hosting site 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.

Gaining support in Alabama, a state with a strong Republican leaning, will be crucial for any presumed party nominee.

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 fight.

Why won’t Trump show up for the debate?

Trump stated that the party should concentrate on the general elections and that he already has a sizable advantage in the polls.

Furthermore, he has declined to endorse any other candidate or sign the “Beat Biden” vow.

He used to host his own open events in lieu of the debates, but this time he’ll be at a fundraiser in Florida.

Who will be attending?

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. This is due to candidate withdrawals and Trump’s adamant position about not attending.

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 there. 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 organise a private fundraiser in place of counter-programming with a public event, unlike the previous debates.

Who is broadcasting and hosting the discussion?

The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative political publication, NewsNation, a pay television network, and The Megyn Kelly Show on Sirius XM are hosting the discussion. Additionally, Rumble, a conservative-friendly video-hosting site, will host the discussion.

Unlike the last three debates, which were hosted by prominent news networks Fox and NBC, NewsNation will stream the debate live on their website and distribute it to television news stations, while Rumble will stream it natively.

Elizabeth Vargas, anchor of NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports, Megyn Kelly, presenter of The Megyn Kelly Show, and Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief of The Washington Free Beacon, are among the individuals who will moderate the discussion on behalf of the host organisations.

Is the debate important?

In the end, Trump won’t be there, so any contender hoping to win the nomination will have to gradually reduce his enormous advantage. The primary campaign’s first competition, the Iowa Caucuses, is scheduled on January 15.

In most national surveys, DeSantis leads Haley; but, 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 increasing in opinion surveys for some months.

Should one contender exhibit exceptional performance, it may enable them to break the impasse and start building support from Republicans who want to get past Trump. However, the significance of discussions has fluctuated throughout time, and even a strong performance does not ensure that the competition for second place will change.

Sources:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/5/fourth-us-republican-presidential-debate-who-will-attend-where-to-watch
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/where-is-fourth-republican-debate-who-will-be-there-2023-11-28/

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