Third Republican debate will be harder for candidates to qualify for

• To qualify, candidates must poll at least 4% in two national polls or 4% in a national poll and one early state poll (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina). The polling must be conducted on or after Sept. 1, per the RNC.
• Candidates also must have a minimum of 70,000 unique donors, with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in at least 20 states or territories.

Zoom in: Six GOP candidates have so far qualified for the Sept. 27 debate, which requires candidates to show they have at least 50,000 unique donors, including at least 200 donors each from 20 states or territories.

• They also need at least 3% of support in two qualifying national surveys, or in one national poll and two polls from competitive early primary states.

The big picture: The debates offer a chance for GOP hopefuls to distinguish their respective campaigns, likely in the absence of the frontrunner, former President Trump.

• Trump, who said last month that he will "not be doing the debates," skipped the first debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and instead sat for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

• Trump is also planning to snub the second Republican primary debate on Sept. 27 in Simi Valley, California, and counterprogram the event by speaking to striking autoworkers in Detroit about the same time.
• CNN first reported on the planned date for the third Republican primary debate, which is scheduled to take place in Miami.

What to watch: The RNC has not yet identified the moderators or venue for the third GOP debate.

Go deeper: Biden's GOP debate strategy: Send Newsom

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details on the qualifying criteria for the third GOP debate.