By MEG KINNARD and STEVE PEOPLES
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The number of candidates on stage is shrinking, but the fundamentals of Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate may be familiar to anyone who has watched the previous three meetings.
No one has yet emerged as the clear Republican alternative to former President Donald Trump, whose lead is so big that he has skipped all the debates. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appear to be leading the fight for a distant second place, yet conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are still factors.
Here’s how to watch the debate and what to watch for:
The two-hour debate will start at 5 p.m. Pacific time Wednesday. It’s being moderated by NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas; Megyn Kelly, host of “The Megyn Kelly Show” on SiriusXM; and Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief of The Washington Free Beacon.
NewsNation says the event will air on its broadcast channel, website and streaming platforms. In the Los Angeles market, KTLA Channel 5 is carrying the debate live at 5 p.m.
NewsNation has been soliciting audience questions via an online submission form.
The Republican National Committee has partnered with Rumble — a video-sharing platform popular with some conservatives — to livestream the debate.
The setting for the fourth GOP debate is the Moody Music Hall at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama voters will make their presidential picks on March 5, part of more than a dozen Super Tuesday states. That’s when the largest number of delegates is up for grabs of any single day in the primary cycle.
In general elections, the state has been in the red column for decades, last supporting a Democrat for president when Jimmy Carter ran in 1976.
Four Republicans will be on the debate stage, the smallest field yet as polling and donor benchmarks for qualification rise.
DeSantis, Ramaswamy, Haley and Christie met the…
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