Four GOP Candidates Secure Spot in Fourth 2024 Presidential Debate

The fourth GOP presidential primary debate is set to take place on Wednesday night in Alabama, with four candidates having qualified. The line-up includes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Former President Donald Trump, the current front-runner for the GOP nomination, will not be attending as he has chosen to skip all previous debates. Instead, he will be present at a fundraiser in Florida for a super PAC supporting his candidacy.

With only six weeks until the Iowa caucuses kick off the 2024 GOP nomination calendar, the recent announcement has added pressure on candidates DeSantis and Haley as they vie to establish themselves as top rivals to Trump. To qualify for the Tuscaloosa stage, candidates had to meet stringent criteria, including a minimum of 80,000 unique donors and registering at least 6% in national polls or in early-voting states. The Republican National Committee also required candidates to pledge their support to the eventual GOP nominee, mirroring conditions for previous debates.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum criticized the RNC's decision to tighten debate qualification thresholds and announced the end of his GOP nomination campaign earlier today. He expressed concern that the RNC's requirements were undermining the democratic process and diminishing the influence of engaged voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. He had qualified for the first two debates but did not meet the qualifications for the third debate in Miami last month.

The use of arbitrary criteria in the primary system gives candidates from major media markets on the coasts an unfair advantage over those from Americas Heartland. The debate criteria do not actually reflect the qualifications necessary for the job of the president. This attempt to nationalize the primary system is detrimental to the future of the party, particularly for a party that claims to value non-Washington leadership," he added.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson continues to be in the GOP race but has not met the qualifications for any primary debates since participating in the first face-off in Milwaukee in August.

Prior to the debate, officials from President Joe Biden's campaign and various prominent Democrats, including former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, are set to host a news conference in Tuscaloosa to showcase "how Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans' agenda is being showcased in Alabama and the importance of the 2024 election," as stated in a news release from the Biden campaign.