Chris Christie sneaks into the fourth Republican debate and will join Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy in showdown six weeks before Iowa
- Four candidates qualified for the fourth Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday
- Qualifications include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, ex-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
- Smallest stage yet as the race for second place behind Trump intensifies
Four Republican presidential candidates will take the stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Wednesday evening for the fourth primary debate, the Republican National Committee announced Monday.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie qualified for the debate by the skin of his teeth after claiming last month he had reached the donor threshold and saying last week he was “confident” he would meet election requirements and would be on stage.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are the other three candidates who qualified for the debate.
The stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Wednesday, December 6 will be the smallest yet in the 2024 Republican primaries.
It comes just six weeks before the first Iowa caucuses on January 15.
Four candidates qualified for the fourth Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday, the RNC announced Monday. From left: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
Images of the set construction at the site of the fourth presidential debate were obtained last week by DailyMail.com. It shows five lecterns, fueling speculation that former President Donald Trump could appear, but the released images now show just four podiums
The first debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in August had eight candidates, while the second in September in Simi Valley, California had narrowed to seven candidates. In November in Miami, Florida, only five candidates took the stage.
Of the five who qualified last month, only Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is absent after dropping out of the race in the days following the showdown in Miami.
After failing to qualify for his second straight debate on Monday, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced he would suspend his campaign.
Former President Donald Trump has yet to attend any of the debates and claims they are beneath him given his huge lead in the polls over the rest of the remaining field.
Speculation ensued that Trump would finally make an appearance on Wednesday after DailyMail.com obtained an image of the debate stage last week that showed hosting network NewsNation preparing five stages on the debate stage at the University of Alabama's Frank Moody Music Building.
But images since then have shown there are only four podiums on stage for DeSantis, Haley, Ramaswamy and Christie.
Instead of finally debating, Trump will attend a private fundraiser in Florida on Wednesday evening.
During the first debate, Trump released a sit-down interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. While he skipped the second, he went to Wisconsin to speak to picketing auto workers and the third saw him hold an adversarial rally just a few minutes away from the debate site in Miami.
The third debate in Miami, Florida in November featured five candidates on stage, but South Carolina Senator Tim Scott (R) has since dropped out of the 2024 race
The debate is hosted by NewsNation and will be moderated by former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly (right), NewNation's Elizabeth Vargas (center) and The Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson (left).
To qualify for the fourth debate, the candidates had to reach their strictest thresholds yet.
In terms of donations, the contenders had to gather 80,000 unique donors, with at least 200 of them coming from at least 20 different states or territories.
They also had to earn 6 percent support in two national polls endorsed by the RNC. Alternatively, they could reach the national polling threshold of 6 percent in just one survey and 6 percent in two separate statewide polls in an early primary state — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
The debate, hosted by NewsNation, will be moderated by former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, NewNation's Elizabeth Vargas and The Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson.
It airs from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET and can be streamed live on Rumble.