The Republican National Committee announced on Monday that it had selected partners — NBC News, Salem Radio Network (SRN), the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), and Rumble — for the third GOP presidential primary debate to be held on November 8, 2023, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement that the "partners for our third debate will offer our candidates an excellent opportunity to meet the moment and contrast their plans and vision with the failures of the Biden White House."
David Santrella, the CEO of Salem Media Group — which also owns Townhall Media — said SRN is "honored to be chosen by the Republican National Committee to be a part of this historic Republican presidential primary debate. Salem is an experienced partner of the RNC, having co-moderated four RNC debates in 2015-2016," reminded Santrella of Salem's past debate partnerships. "We look forward to working closely with NBC News and other selected partners to deliver an event that will shine a light on the candidates and educate voters ahead of the primary."
As Leah reported previously, the criteria for participation in the third GOP primary debate is the most stringent yet:
GOP candidates must receive 4 percent support in two national surveys or 4 percent in an early state poll from two separate states. The polls must be conducted on or after Sept. 1, and candidates must meet these requirements no later than 48 hours before the debate. Placement on the debate stage will depend on their polling numbers.
On fundraising, candidates must have at least 70,000 unique donors, with a minimum of 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20 or more states. Again, evidence of meeting this requirement must be shown two days ahead of the debate.
Additionally, the same pledge requirement stands, mandating that candidates support the Republican Party’s eventual nominee. They must also agree to not participate in unsanctioned debates.
NBC News Editorial President Rebecca Blumenstein emphasized her network's "long history of fostering conversations with the leaders that seek to shape domestic politics and foreign policy" and said NBC News looks "forward to continuing our leading reporting on the 2024 presidential race and spotlighting the issues that matter most to voters as they head to the polls."
Former U.S. Senator-turned-RJC Chairman Norm Coleman noted that "as the horrific events of the last week have unfolded in Israel, the issue of American foreign policy has taken on an even greater role" in the 2024 primary contest. "American strength and American resolve – and our candidates’ vision for America’s role in the world – are more important than ever," said Coleman.
Rumble Chairman and CEO Chris Pavlovski said it was a "major milestone" to again be selected as the RNC's exclusive online and streaming partner for the third debate and be able to "bring the debate stage online and help promote open dialogue once again. As the premier platform for all candidates in the 2024 elections, we’re excited to offer viewers another chance to watch democracy in action, and we expect a huge turnout for the exclusive livestream event," Pavlovski added.
As always, Townhall will have coverage of the debate from start to finish and in the days following the next showdown between GOP hopefuls.
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