Haley spars with Republican rivals at 3rd primary debate as Trump still looms

The two-hour debate will feature four planned segments.

The "national security implications" of the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars will be a focus, along with domestic political issues, according to NBC News.

The moderators are also expected to reference campaign developments that NBC News reporting and polls show are of interest to voters, per organizers.

Candidates will have 90 seconds to answer each question, as well as 60 seconds to answer follow-up questions.

At the end, candidates will have 60 seconds to give a closing statement.

-ABC News' Meredith Deliso

With five candidates set to clash on the debate stage, all eyes will be on how they respond to Tuesday night's relatively poor election results for Republicans, including if they'll take swipes at Trump's status as party figurehead.

Much of the action is anticipated to take place near center stage between DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Haley, who have been running neck-and-neck in the polls for second place and who are seeking to grab the mantle of Trump alternative for a segment of the party that remains skeptical of the former president.

Still, it's unclear how much the event will move the needle -- Trump retains gargantuan leads in national and early state polling, per 538's average, and has seemingly suffered no consequences from GOP voters by skipping the first two debates, a trend he'll continue Wednesday.

Read more about the key questions for the evening here.

-ABC News' Tal Axelrod

It’s been nearly six weeks since the candidates vying for the Republican nomination last met on the debate stage.

A lot has happened since then.

Former Vice President Mike Pence suspended his campaign, prompting audible gasps when he made the announcement on stage last month at the Republican Jewish Coalition's Annual Leadership Summit in Las Vegas. He was the first major candidate to drop out of the race.

Two other hopefuls failed to reach the Miami debate stage: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. That means Wednesday’s debate will be the smallest of the three, with just five candidates in the spotlight.

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What to know about the 3rd Republican presidential primary debate

The field has narrowed after the RNC upped the requirements to make it on stage.

ABCNews.com

One thing hasn’t changed, though, and that’s Trump’s commanding lead over the GOP field.

While the former president is once again snubbing his opponents, he won’t be too far away as he holds his own rally in Hialeah, Florida.

-ABC News' Alexandra Hutzler