The Big Story 

Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Christie will take the stage Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, Ala. for the 4th GOP primary debate.   

© NewsNation

Hello and Roll Tide from the University of Alabama, where The Hill’s sister network NewsNation will host the fourth Republican primary debate Wednesday. 

The Hill’s Julia Manchester is in Tuscaloosa with a preview of the debate and more.

The stage is ready to go and you can find some pics here:

On Monday, the Republican National Committee announced that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made the debate stage after he faced speculation he would not meet the necessary requirements.

Candidates were required to reach 80,000 unique donors, with at least 200 in 20 or more states each, as well as poll at least 6 percent in two national polls or at 6 percent in one national poll and in two separate early state polls. 

The debate will be one of the last opportunities for the candidates to present their message on a national stage before the Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 15.  

“The fourth debate is another fantastic opportunity for our Republican candidates to share our winning agenda with the American people,” RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. “President Reagan was the first sitting president to visit the University of Alabama nearly 40 years ago, just before cruising to a landslide victory in 1984, and I’m thrilled to return our conservative message to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night.” 

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum won’t be on the 4th debate stage, after he suspended his presidential campaign on Monday.

Burgum struggled to have a major impact in the polls given his low name ID. While he did appear at the first two Republican presidential debates, the governor did not qualify for the fourth debate. Burgum criticized the the RNC’s “clubhouse” requirements for the debates for “nationalizing the primary process,” saying they take power away from Iowa and New Hampshire voters.  

Meanwhile, former President Trump, who is slated to take place in a Fox News town hall with conservative talk show host Sean Hannity Tuesday, is unlikely to appear on the debate stage. The former president has made a practice of skipping the 2024 GOP primary debates.  

The Hill’s Jared Gans has all you need to know ahead of Wednesday’s debate here.  

To watch the debate, viewers can click here to find more information on how to access NewsNation in their market.  

The debate airs Wednesday at 8pm ET.  

Welcome to The Hill’s Campaign Report, we’re Julia Manchester and Caroline Vakil. Each week we track the key stories you need to know to stay ahead of the 2024 election and who will set the agenda in Washington. 

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Essential Reads 

Key election stories and other recent campaign coverage:

Christie faces growing GOP pressure to drop out: ‘He’s dividing the vote’

2024 GOP primary endorsements: Where they stand

George Conway: People won’t speak against Trump because they know ‘he’s a danger’

The Countdown 

Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:

2024 By The Polls 

© SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Polling from The Hill’s partners at Decision Desk HQ released on Monday showed Trump continuing to dominate the Republican primary.  

Sixty percent of Republicans polled said they would back the former president in a primary, according to the findings. Eleven percent said they would back Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, while 10 percent said they would back former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley.

Further down the field, six percent of GOP respondents said they would back entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and three percent said they would support former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.  

When asked who their second choice would be if their first choice candidate was not on the ballot, 11 percent said they’d go with Trump, while 36 percent said the same about DeSantis and 15 percent said the same about Ramaswamy. Fourteen percent said they would vote for Haley as a second choice.  

The poll also found that 57 percent of all survey respondents, including 29 percent of Republicans, said they support disqualifying Trump from the ballot if he is convicted in one or more of the criminal cases he is facing.  

The findings demonstrate Trump’s dominance in the polls, but also give an indication as to who Republican voters would choose if the former president is not on the ballot.

Florida State Of Mind 

© AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

And while we’re in Tuscaloosa, we would be remiss if we did not touch on the drama that has enveloped the College Football Playoffs.

On Monday, Florida State became the first unbeaten champion from a Power Five conference to be excluded since the four-team playoff system started a decade ago. Instead, the committee chose the University of Alabama.

The move has been met with pushback from Florida politicians.

DeSantis slammed the decision on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.    

“What we learned today is that you can go undefeated and win your conference championship game, but the College Football Playoff committee will ignore these results. Congratulations to @FSUFootball for an outstanding season and winning the ACC championship!” DeSantis said.   

Trump, on the other hand, blamed DeSantis for the decision.  

“Florida State was treated very badly by the ‘Committee,’” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social. “They become the first Power Five team to be left out of the College Football Playoffs. Really bad lobbying effort…Lets blame DeSanctimonious!!!” 

One thing is for certain: DeSantis will be out on the opposing team’s turf Wednesday evening in Alabama.  

Quote of the day:  

“Doxxing and haters that you don’t represent? Sounds familiar.”  

Former Auburn head coach and current Sen. Tommy Tuberville, reacting to Alabama head coach Nick Saban saying that his cellphone number was leaked following his team making it to the playoffs.  

On Our Watch 

© AP Photo/Bryan Woolston, File

The Virginia governor’s race is starting to take shape, with several Democrats already throwing their hats in the ring.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) announced several days after the November elections that she would be running for governor, while Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced on Monday that he was also launching a bid. No campaigns have been launched yet on the GOP side. 

Democrats enjoyed a good Election Night last month as they retained control of the state Senate while flipping the House of Delegates, with Democrats heavily leaning into the issue of abortion.  

The elections also dealt a blow to Republicans, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who had been widely viewed as a future White House contender. 

Youngkin is term-limited and cannot seek reelection in 2025.  

In Other News 

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Former Green Beret announces run for Rep. Patrick McHenry’s seat

Republican Pat Harrigan, a businessman and former Green Beret, announced Tuesday that he’ll run for Rep. Patrick McHenry’s (R-N.C.) seat, after the former Speaker pro tempore announced he’ll retire at the end of this term.  “Following Congressman McHenrys retirement, I’m running for Congress in North Carolina’s 10th District,” Harrigan said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, just after news broke that McHenry …

Klobuchar, Fischer ask DOJ to ‘prioritize’ suspicious letter cases

Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) wrote a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) expressing concern about recent incidents of letters laced with fentanyl and other substances sent to elections offices last Friday. “We write to express serious concerns following reports of anonymous letters — some containing fentanyl and other unidentified substances — that were sent to election offices in at least six …

Around the Nation 

Local and state headlines regarding campaigns and elections:

What We’re Reading 

Election news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Elsewhere Today 

Key stories on The Hill right now:

Tuberville releasing hold on hundreds of military promotions

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) announced on Tuesday that he is ending his months-long blockade on hundreds of military promotions. Tuberville said that he is jumping on board with an idea presented by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) that would release all of his holds on military officers at the 3-star level and below. … Read more

‘Quadrillion-dollar’ tax case leaves Supreme Court justices exploring narrow resolution 

The Supreme Court explored ways to narrowly resolve a major tax case during oral arguments Tuesday, with justices raising concerns about sweeping consequences if they fully adopt either side’s position. Specifically, the justices on Tuesday are weighing the constitutionality of a provision enacted as part of then-President Trump’s sweeping … Read more

What People Think 

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