Watch: CBS News Miami coverage of GOP presidential debate, Trump rally in Hialeah
MIAMI -- Five Republican candidates seeking the GOP nomination for president are in Miami and debating the issues while Donald Trump, the man leading the polls, was speaking at a competing rally across town.
Pundits have said the GOP challengers have to devise a strategy to take on Trump without alienating his supporters.
Meanwhile, Trump is facing several legal challenges that could see him confronted by courtroom challenges as voters are going to the polls in the lead up to the 2024 election in which President Joe Biden is expected to be the Democratic challenger.
CBS News Miami will have special coverage of the events in Miami at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., which will also be aired on WBFS-TV/Channel 33.
GOP candidates debate in Miami
The Republican National Committee, which is sanctioning the debate, set the criteria for participation. Candidates needed to secure a polling minimum of 4% in either two national surveys or one national survey combined with two surveys from the early-nominating states. Candidates also needed to garner contributions from a minimum of 70,000 individuals before an 8 p.m. deadline on Monday.
Five candidates qualified for the debate: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley; businessman Vivek Ramaswamy; and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
Trump rallies in Hialeah
Supporters of former President Donald Trump packed into Ted Hendricks Stadium in Hialeah Wednesday to hear from him as as other Republican candidates were preparing to take the stage for the third and final GOP presidential primary debate.
Trump, who leads his other opponents in virtually every major poll, has opted for counter programming, speaking at 7 p.m. in Hialeah at Ted Hendricks Stadium inside Henry Milander Park