Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie to participate in the fourth Republican debate

With just six weeks left before the Iowa caucuses begin the Republican Party's nominating process, the Republican National Committee (RNC) made known the four candidates who have qualified for the fourth debate prior to the Republican primaries, which will be held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, this Wednesday. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; former New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie; the former governor of South Carolina and former ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Nikki Haley; and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will participate after meeting the requested requirements.

Who will not attend will be Donald Trump. The former president and favorite candidate - according to polls - will attend a Super PAC event that raises funds for his campaign in Florida. Nor will they be present - after not exceeding the established thresholds - are the former Governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson - who has not qualified for any debate so far -, Ryan Blinkey, Rollan Roberts II and John Anthony Castro, the rest of the candidates who still remain in the Republican race.

Attention will be on the DeSantis-Haley duel

Polls and experts had not given Haley a result that gave her a high chance of being named as the Republican candidate for the presidential elections until last week, when she obtained the support of the Super PAC, Americans for Prosperity (AFP), led by the Koch brothers. This endorsement has only elevated the former South Carolina governor's position within the field of candidates to be seen as Trump's main rival for the primaries. Despite this, the polls continue to show an overwhelming victory for the former president.

The biggest loser from Haley's rise is DeSantis, he has fallen from second to third position in most polls. In fact, in recent days the Governor of Florida has intensified his statements against the former ambassador to the UN, going so far as to describe her as "the last gasp of a failed political establishment." The eyes and ears of the spectators will be focused on the duel between the two.

This fourth debate is key for the governor of Florida to regain support and once again be Trump's great opponent in the Republican primaries.

As for the other two Republican candidates who will be on stage in Tuscaloosa, Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie, they have the objective of gathering a greater number of supports and, to do so, they must present solid arguments that refute the ideas of the rest of the participants. Both are in fourth and fifth position respectively in the polls.

The requirements to participate in the debate

Haley, DeSantis, Ramaswamy and Christie exceeded the requirements established by the Republican National Committee to participate in the fourth debate prior to the primary elections.

To do this, they had to submit a list of at least 80,000 unique donors, with at least 200 in 20 states or territories. In addition, the RNC requested that each of the candidates have at least 6% support in two national polls or in one national poll and two polls in different states in which voting had been done in advance. They also had to commit to showing their strong support for the Republican presidential candidate through a signed statement.

Burgum's criticism of the thresholds established by the RNC

This Monday, Doug Burgum was the last candidate to announce his withdrawal from the Republican race, although he did not give the specific reason that led him to make his decision. What he did do, was criticize the thresholds that the Republican National Committee established for participating in debates.

"The RNC’s clubhouse debate requirements are nationalizing the primary process and taking the power of democracy away from the engaged, thoughtful citizens of Iowa and New Hampshire," the North Dakota governor said. "None of their debate criteria relate to the qualifications related to actually doing the job of the president. This effort to nationalize the primary system is unhealthy for the future of the party, especially for a party which proclaims to value leadership from outside of Washington."

With his withdrawal, Burgum joins the list of former Republican candidates made up of Mike Pence, Francis Suárez, Larry Elder, William Hurd, Tim Scott and Perry Johnson.