The lineup is set for the fourth GOP presidential primary debate heading into the pivotal 2024 election season. The Republican National Committee announced that four candidates passed muster to take the stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Dec. 6.

They are former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said in a press release that the event is “another fantastic opportunity for our Republican candidates to share our winning agenda with the American people.”

She noted that Ronald Reagan was the first sitting chief executive to visit the University of Alabama before his landslide election victory in 1984. 

Four Republicans to participate in fourth GOP primary debate | Just The News https://t.co/X5ycpAHGE2

— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) December 5, 2023

The GOP field is narrowing, with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) having dropped out of the race after participating in the third debate. And on Monday, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced he is scuttling his candidacy. 

But not before some parting shots at the RNC. 

Burgum was disqualified from participating in the third debate for not meeting criteria established by the party. There are polling and unique donor levels that must be reached to be on stage, and his campaign fell short.

The Republican governor charged the standards favor coastal candidates from major media markets over those from “America’s Heartland.” He called the rules an effort to “nationalize the primary system.”

Burgum added that restricting candidates from the event runs counter to the Republican Party’s platform of prizing leadership from outside of Washington. 

There was strong speculation that Gov. Christie would not meet the threshold, but apparently his unique donor requirement was achieved on Monday. 

The fourth debate will be broadcast on NewsNation and moderated by Megyn Kelly, Eliana Johnson and Elizabeth Vargas. Trump will spend the evening at a different venue as he is scheduled to participate in a Fox News town hall hosted by Sean Hannity.