Washington, Nov 4 (IANS): The 3rd GOP sponsored Presidential Debate kicks off on November 8 at Miami in Florida with stricter thresholds for participation with former US President Donald Trump skipping and ex-Vice President Mike Pence dropping out, while other candidates are not sure if they have met the new protocols which limits the field of candidates to the debate.

Some of the top Republican presidential candidates were expected to face off at their third primary debate on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Miami, but there will be fewer people on stage after former Vice President Mike Pence dropped out of the race and others haven't yet said if they've reached the higher threshold to qualify, media reports said.

Frontrunner former President Donald Trump is once again not expected to participate as he is way ahead of others in the RNC primaries race for nomination and will instead hold a rally of his own just across the road of the debating venue in Miami, reports said.

NBC will host the two-hour debate airing on the network's TV, streaming and digital platforms. The moderators will include "Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt, "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker and conservative-leaning Hugh Hewitt, the host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" on Salem Radio Network.

2024 Republican presidential candidates, Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Senator Tim Scott and former US Vice President Mike Pence participated in the previous debates. Five Republican candidates have reportdly qualified for the third debate, according to their campaigns.

And they are -- former New Jersey Govenor Chris Christie, Florida Govenor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.

The RNC has not yet confirmed them as the qualified candidates.

The previous debate included Pence, who suspended his campaign last weekend.

North Dakota Govenor Doug Burgum made the second debate stage, but has not said if he has reached the higher threshold for the 3rd debate.

How do candidates qualify for the third debate stage?

The qualifications for participation in the third debate are far more stringent than the first two. This time, the RNC said participants must have secured 4 per cent of the vote in multiple polls and 70,000 unique donors.

All candidates are also required to sign a pledge to support the party's eventual 2024 nominee if they want to participate.

The candidates must meet the requirements no later than 48 hours before the debate, media reports said.

The third debate protocols are significantly higher the second one when candidates needed to reach at least 3 per cent in two national polls or 3 per cent in one national poll and 3 per cent in two polls conducted from separate early nominating states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada), in order to qualify.

The candidates also needed at least 50,000 unique donors, USA Today said.

Former President Trump skipped the first two debates indicating the futility given his large polling lead, he won't participate in the third one too.

"President Trump's statement was that he would not attend the debates," adviser Chris LaCivita said in the days following the second debate.

His campaign urged the RNC to cancel the third debate, saying the party should focus on defeating Democrats in 2024 instead.

Trump's campaign managers announced on Thursday they will counter the debate with a rally in Hialeah, Florida, as well as a "Team Trump Spin Room".

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once a top favourite of the GOP, mocked Trump to join the Republican debate even if he needed a teleprompter.

"I'm willing to allow him to bring his teleprompter to the debate if that's what he wants to do, and we will just do it like that. But he should be on that stage in Miami and subsequent debates," DeSantis said in absolute sarcasm of his former boss.

Many Republicans feel Trumps has too much legal baggage to carry before the 2024 elections and yet in polls he leads all others.