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Republicans are looking at a crowded, yet dwindling, field to challenge President Biden in the 2024 presidential election and five will face off in Miami, Fla., Wednesday night for the third GOP debate.

Republican National Committee confirmed the names

 of the presidential candidates who will participate, but frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, is preparing to skip — for the third time.

Here's everything you need to know about the third GOP presidential debate.

The third presidential debate is in partnership with the Republican Jewish Coalition. It will take place from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and will air from 8 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET on TV, streaming and digital platforms of NBC News. It also will be livestreamed by the online site Rumble, a video sharing platform with 

Lester Holt and Kristen Welker of NBC News along with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" will moderate the debate.

Follow NPR for debate updates and analysis.

The debating candidates had to meet criteria set by the RNC, which included reaching higher polling numbers and donor metrics than the last two debates, and meeting Federal Election Committee deadlines. They also had to sign a pledge agreeing to support the eventual party nominee.

— The former New Jersey governor launched 

another bid for the Republican nomination

 been to positioning himself as the conservative alternative to Trump

 following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. During the second GOP debate, 

 "vote Donald Trump off the island right now."

—Over the last several weeks, the Florida governor

. This includes pivoting to focus on issues voters care about like immigration and inflation.

DeSantis has been at the center of Trump attack ads and also faced Republican criticism over laws signed in the 

. He has widely been seen as the most viable GOP opponent to Trump, but his campaign has 

faced challenges including staffing turnover

 — Haley, ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, has climbed up the polls in some states 

. New Hampshire is among the early primary states and although Trump is still topping the polls, voters warn 

he shouldn't take their votes for granted

. Haley was the first to challenge the former president and in the 

 with DeSantis and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott over energy policy and had a memorable quip at fellow challenger Vivek Ramaswamy.

— He is among the younger GOP candidates and he has used platforms like TikTok and podcasts to gain notoriety among 

has been a prominent voice in conservative circles, arguing against the environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement and against "woke"-ism. 

Ramaswamy received a boost following the first GOP debate

—Another South Carolina contender, Scott brings a diverse background and upbringing to the white-dominated Republican party. Over the last several months, Scott has turned to border policy as a key issue. He has criticized President Biden for not visiting the border, 

and instead visiting picketing autoworkers,

order should be more pressing than climate change

, Scott said he would complete the border wall, increase domestic job creation, and said states like California and New York can't be allowed to "have abortions on demand" until birth.

Trump is eligible but choosing not to attend, despite being the current front-runner for the nomination.

Not eligible for the debate are Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

: Former Vice President Mike Pence, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and former Texas Congressman Will Hurd.

The former president is expected to host a rally in nearby Hialeah, Fl. at the Ted Hendricks Stadium at 7 p.m. ET.

Trump skipped the first two presidential debates and held counter-programming, which included an interview with Tucker Carlson on X, formerly known as Twitter, and a 

rally with non-union autoworkers in Michigan

Politics and Government News

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Election 2024

Ximena Bustillo

Author

Five Republican candidates — minus the frontrunner — are set to debate in Florida on Wednesday night. Here's who will be there — and who won't be — and how to watch.

Five candidates face off in Miami. Here's how to watch the third GOP debate

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