A narrowing Republican presidential field will debate with just six weeks before the Iowa caucuses

We also have to stop selling out this country's future to China. I'm Jonathan Cooper. National politics reporter for the Associated Press Wednesday is the fourth Republican debate this time in Tuscaloosa, Alabama will feature four candidates mainly vying for second place behind frontrunner, former president Donald Trump who will not be in attendance. It's the last debate before voting begins kicking off the primary uh season with the Iowa caucuses on January 15th. So the stakes are high and intensifying for uh the Republicans still standing trying to get the party's nomination. The four candidates who will appear on stage are Ron DeSantis. The Florida governor has staked *** lot on Iowa. He just finished visiting all 99 counties there. He's also seen some turmoil at the Super PAC that's running *** lot of uh his campaign operations with the departure of *** lot of the senior staff there. Nikki Haley is the former United Nations ambassador. It has shifted focus quite *** bit to foreign policy. She's seeing an increase in her polling and picked up recently the support of uh Republican mega donors, the Koch network, biotech entrepreneur, Vivek Ramaswamy really took off over the summer but has stagnated *** little bit since, since his peak. He's also spent *** lot of time in Iowa, um, and is hoping to get his foothold there. I mean, Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor has uh focused *** lot of his campaign on New Hampshire and has been the most aggressive in going after Trump. The qualifications to participate in the debate. Continue getting tougher. The candidates on stage had to uh get at least 6% in *** variety of polls and had to have 80,000 unique donors with some geographic diversity. They also had to sign *** pledge uh with the Republican National Committee committing to support the ultimate nominee of the Republican Party. As for Donald Trump, he skipped all the debates so far. He says he doesn't want to give further attention to his trailing rivals in the past. He's hosted counter programming, um *** campaign rally. Uh but this time he's going to be at *** closed door fundraiser instead.

The shrinking field of Republican presidential hopefuls will gather on a debate stage Wednesday for the fourth time this year, running out of time to shake up a race that's been dominated by former President Donald Trump.Four candidates will be on stage at the University of Alabama for their last scheduled meeting before the Iowa caucuses kick off the presidential nominating season next month. Trump, the race’s clear front-runner, will not be among them. Trump, who has staged public appearances to compete for attention during the three prior GOP debates, will this time spend the evening at a closed-door fundraiser in Florida.Six weeks before voters in Iowa start making their choices, the debate offers a fresh opportunity for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to assert themselves as the best alternatives to Trump.The candidates’ recent maneuvers, though, suggest they will spend more time going after each other than taking aim at Trump, and many Republican power players say there are diminishing returns in attacking the former president given his popularity among Republicans.“It’s challenging for anybody else when Donald Trump is consolidating supporters,” Republican pollster Brent Buchanan said.The debate may be hard to find for many prospective viewers. It will air on NewsNation, a cable network still trying to build its audience after taking over WGN America three years ago. NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas will moderate alongside Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News anchor who now hosts a popular podcast, and Eliana Johnson of the conservative news site Washington Free Beacon.Haley has risen in recent polling to challenge the Florida governor's position as the leading non-Trump contender. She's leaned on her foreign policy experience since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. And she recently won the support of the Koch brothers ' powerful political operation, which will send organizers and canvassers into early primary states on her behalf.DeSantis, meanwhile, faces new upheaval in his political operation. A pro-DeSantis super PAC that is handling much of his campaign apparatus in Iowa parted ways with several top staffers over the weekend.Ramaswamy has been a fiery presence in the three earlier debates. He'll be looking to resurrect the surge in interest he saw over the summer but remains stalled in single digits in most polls.And Christie, who barely met the requirements to participate, is the only leading contender to consistently go after Trump, needling his rivals for focusing on each other instead of the race’s front-runner. He has focused his campaign on New Hampshire, which holds its primaries eight days after the Iowa caucuses.The field of invited candidates has shrunk in half since eight were on the stage at the first debate in Milwaukee in August as the Republican National Committee tightened the criteria to reach the stage each time. For Tuesday, candidates had to get at least 6% in multiple polls and amass 80,000 unique donors.Former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum have all dropped out of the race after participating in at least one debate. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is continuing his campaign but failed to qualify.The debate setting looms as another reminder of Trump’s strong position – and how he outpaced an even larger Republican field when he first ran and won in 2016. Trump swept Southern primaries from Virginia to Arkansas and Louisiana in his first campaign. And the changes in Alabama Republican politics in many ways reflect Trump's influence over the party.___Cooper reported from Phoenix.

Four candidates will be on stage at the University of Alabama for their last scheduled meeting before the Iowa caucuses kick off the presidential nominating season next month. Trump, the race’s clear front-runner, will not be among them. Trump, who has staged public appearances to compete for attention during the three prior GOP debates, will this time spend the evening at a closed-door fundraiser in Florida.

Six weeks before voters in Iowa start making their choices, the debate offers a fresh opportunity for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to assert themselves as the best alternatives to Trump.

The candidates’ recent maneuvers, though, suggest they will spend more time going after each other than taking aim at Trump, and many Republican power players say there are diminishing returns in attacking the former president given his popularity among Republicans.

“It’s challenging for anybody else when Donald Trump is consolidating supporters,” Republican pollster Brent Buchanan said.

The debate may be hard to find for many prospective viewers. It will air on NewsNation, a cable network still trying to build its audience after taking over WGN America three years ago. NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas will moderate alongside Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News anchor who now hosts a popular podcast, and Eliana Johnson of the conservative news site Washington Free Beacon.

Haley has risen in recent polling to challenge the Florida governor's position as the leading non-Trump contender. She's leaned on her foreign policy experience since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. And she recently won the support of the Koch brothers ' powerful political operation, which will send organizers and canvassers into early primary states on her behalf.

DeSantis, meanwhile, faces new upheaval in his political operation. A pro-DeSantis super PAC that is handling much of his campaign apparatus in Iowa parted ways with several top staffers over the weekend.

Ramaswamy has been a fiery presence in the three earlier debates. He'll be looking to resurrect the surge in interest he saw over the summer but remains stalled in single digits in most polls.

And Christie, who barely met the requirements to participate, is the only leading contender to consistently go after Trump, needling his rivals for focusing on each other instead of the race’s front-runner. He has focused his campaign on New Hampshire, which holds its primaries eight days after the Iowa caucuses.

The field of invited candidates has shrunk in half since eight were on the stage at the first debate in Milwaukee in August as the Republican National Committee tightened the criteria to reach the stage each time. For Tuesday, candidates had to get at least 6% in multiple polls and amass 80,000 unique donors.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum have all dropped out of the race after participating in at least one debate. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is continuing his campaign but failed to qualify.

The debate setting looms as another reminder of Trump’s strong position – and how he outpaced an even larger Republican field when he first ran and won in 2016. Trump swept Southern primaries from Virginia to Arkansas and Louisiana in his first campaign. And the changes in Alabama Republican politics in many ways reflect Trump's influence over the party.

___

Cooper reported from Phoenix.

A narrowing Republican presidential field will debate with just six weeks before the Iowa caucuses

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