NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt and Meet the Press host Kristen Welker have been tapped as moderators of the third GOP primary debate in Miami next month.
They will be joined by Hugh Hewitt, host of The Hugh Hewitt Show on Salem Radio Network. As anchor of NBC Nightly News, Holt is NBC News’ main anchor for primetime political coverage, including presidential debates, party conventions and election nights.
Welker is the moderator for Meet the Press, NBC News’ flagship Sunday morning public affairs show. NBC News, which will produce the debate for its linear TV, streaming and digital platforms, takes over from Fox News and Fox Business, which hosted the first two Republican primary debates.
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The third tangle between GOP candidates, organized by the Republican National Committee, will be held at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County from 8 to 10 p.m. on Nov. 8. Salem Radio Network and the Republican Jewish Coalition will partner with NBC News for the third debate, while Rumble will livestream the debate.
The RNC has yet to announce the candidates who qualify to participate in the Miami debate after meeting benchmarks in polling and donor numbers, and the podium lineup. Former President Donald Trump, who leads the field for the Republican nomination, has yet to participate in the GOP debates, which have not been major audience pullers.
The first two Republican primary debates averaged 11.25 million viewers across all platforms — a little less than half the total through the first two debates of the 2016 GOP primary (23.5 million) when the stage had a big field of candidates for the party.
The first two debates were dominated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, while South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Vice President Mike Pence also filled the debate stage.
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