The fourth Republican primary debate will see the candidates face their toughest test yet as a trio of female moderators turn up the heat and pressure the 2024 contenders to ditch their “canned stump speeches.”
NewsNation co-moderator Elizabeth Vargas told DailyMail.com that her goal is to have a debate where viewers don't want to turn off the television — as she says she wants to do during extended periods of crosstalk in the second debate.
“We intend to moderate this debate with a firm and steady hand,” Vargas said in an exclusive look at the preparation for the fourth event. 'People should not talk over each other.'
“We're at the boil now,” she added. “This is a crucial time, these candidates know it. They are running out of time to argue their case. And they have to do it quickly.'
NewsNation will host the fourth Republican presidential primary debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Wednesday, December 6 from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern time at the University of Alabama's Frank Moody Music Building.
This is the first time a Republican primary debate has been held in the deep-red state of Alabama, Vargas noted.
Co-moderators for the fourth contest are Vargas of NewsNations, Megyn Kelly of SiriusXM and Editor-in-Chief Eliana Johnson of Washington Free Beacon.
The stage will be the smallest in the 2024 primaries yet, with qualifiers including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie claimed on November 15 that he qualified for the debate.
NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas shares an exclusive look at what to expect from Wednesday night's fourth Republican presidential primary debate, which she is co-hosting in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Wednesday's debate stage will be the smallest yet, with just three candidates. The third debate had five candidates from L: former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
Vargas previewed the question line for the debate, saying, “They're not open-ended questions like you know: 'Why are you the best candidate?' You know, 'Why are you better than Donald Trump?' That won't be a question.'
Vargas said the importance of the debate should not be underestimated or undervalued, claiming these primary debates are the only chance for voters to see alternative options to Trump or President Joe Biden on stage.
“I do know that the vast majority of Americans do not want either Donald Trump or Joe Biden on the ticket,” Vargas said in an interview with DailyMail.com about the upcoming debate. “And that opens up opportunities, you know, for other candidates. And that is what this debate is about.'
Tensions were high during the first few debates, with candidates fighting for speaking time and talking over each other to defend their policies or launch counterattacks against their competitors.
The second debate in Simi Valley, California in September was particularly heated, with candidates taking personal swipes at each other and shouting over each other for much of the debate.
Many viewers said they wanted or ended up turning off their televisions without finishing the debate.
Haley told Ramaswamy in California, “Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little dumber.”
During the third debate in Miami, Florida in October, Ramaswamy fired back with personal insults against Haley.
'Do you want a leader from a different generation, who will put this country first? Or do you want Dick Cheney in three-inch heels?' he asked on stage.
Haley later shot back with a correction: “They are 6 inch heels and I only wear them when I can run in them.”
Co-moderators for the fourth contest are NewsNations' Elizabeth Vargas (center), SiriusXM's Megyn Kelly (right) and Washington Free Beacon Editor-in-Chief Eliana Johnson (left)
Megyn Kelly (center) co-hosted the most-watched debate ever on January 28, 2016, along with Chris Wallace (left) and Bret Baier (right) – all Fox News hosts at the time. Kelly returns Wednesday to co-host with Vargas and Johnson
At another point, Ramaswamy brought Haley's daughter into the conversation, noting that she was a TikTok user during a heated debate over whether candidates want to ban the Chinese social media app.
“Leave my daughter out of your vote,” Haley said in response. “You're just scum.”
Vargas said of the state of the race: “It's like the pot of water on the stove. It was hot and during the first two debates the water became warmer and warmer. And by the third debate, maybe it was a few bubbles that started to form or steam started to rise.”
“We're at the boil now,” she noted. “This is a crucial time, these candidates know it. They are running out of time to argue their case. And they have to do it quickly.'
“And that means not just repeating the lines they said in the first three debates,” she added. “It means that we actually have to explain their position more fully, and debate with each other about why their approach and the specifics of how they would go about something is better than the other three people on stage and Donald Trump, who by the way won't do. are absent from this debate.'
“If he chooses not to appear on stage, he will be there in spirit because there will be a lot of questions about him too,” she looked ahead.
Vargas was noticeably put off by some of the strategies of the debate moderators who came before her in the 2024 cycle. She especially didn't like that they asked open-ended questions without pressuring the candidates on how they plan to carry out their plans.
She was also annoyed that they didn't seem to bring up Trump enough.
Vargas says she plans to pressure the candidates to answer how they plan to implement their plans as president — and will address Donald Trump and his absence from the stage
“I think in one of the first debates they didn't mention his name until an hour into the debate,” Vargas complained to DailyMail.com. 'I think it is ridiculous. He has a huge advantage over all these candidates on stage.”
“If he won't be there to defend his policies, there will be other candidates running to replace him. And I think this only serves the voter,” she added.
“I mean, there's a real concern among Republican voters that Donald Trump can't win the general election. That's what Governor DeSantis said during his campaign, and he may not be wrong,” the NewsNation host said. “So this is an opportunity for Republicans to decide, 'Okay, if I really want a Republican in the White House, maybe I should look at someone else.' And if I do, which of these four would it be?'
The biggest elephant in the room for all of the Republican party's primary debates this election cycle is that Trump has refused to show up, instead opting for his own counterprogramming each time while decrying the events by claiming it was against the other candidates would apply. under him.
Vargas noted the “four” candidates on stage a few times on Wednesday, but since speaking to DailyMail.com, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has released those who qualified for the debate, which only consisted of three candidates.