The number of candidates on stage is shrinking, but the fundamentals of Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate may be familiar to anyone who has watched the previous three meetings. No one has yet emerged as the clear Republican alternative to former President Donald Trump,

To qualify, the Republican National Committee requires candidates to have drawn donations from 80,000 individuals, including at least 200 donors from at least 20 different states. They also need to show having 6% support in two qualifying national polls or in a combination of one national poll and one poll from two different early states.

Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to face off in the fourth debate of their party's 2024 nominating contest next Wednesday.

Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will face off on Dec. 6 in the fourth GOP presidential primary debate.

Learn more about which GOP presidential candidates qualified for the fourth Republican primary debate on NewsNation.

Four Republican presidential hopefuls will take the stage on Wednesday night for the fourth GOP primary debate, the Republican National Committee announced Monday. Why it matters: It will be the smallest debate stage yet — down from the five candidates who qualified for the third debate — and comes just over a month out from the Iowa caucuses.

As GOP presidential candidates rally in Iowa six weeks before the Iowa Caucus, former President Donald Trump remains at the top of the polls, with one poll showing Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley tied for second.