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

Not far from where his rivals are gathering in Miami, Trump is hosting a rally in Hialeah, a heavily Hispanic part of Florida where Republicans have seen gains in recent years.

It's his third straight time bucking the debates, even though he's easily met the polling and donor thresholds.

The former president and his team are ditching the events in a signal that, to them, the primary is essentially already over -- which his challengers reject -- and he's refusing to sign the Republican National Committee's loyalty pledge vowing to support the ultimate GOP nominee regardless of who it is.

-ABC News' Tal Axelrod

Five candidates made the stage in Miami, but Christie and Scott had a tougher time qualifying than the other three contenders. That will put pressure on them to really shine as they seek to have more staying power in this race.

At this point, both have clear hurdles to making the December debate, and as past elections have shown, failing to qualify for a debate can portend the near-term end of a candidate’s campaign.

Looking ahead to the next debate, the Republican National Committee raised the polling threshold for qualifying surveys from 4% to 6%, a level that Christie and Scott have struggled to hit. In fact, Scott did not do better than 4% in a qualifying national poll for this debate, so he may face the most difficulty.

With that in mind, expect him to assert himself, which might mean more attacks on Haley, his fellow South Carolinian and someone whom Scott criticized at the last debate.

As for Christie, he’s in a tougher spot because most Republicans have an unfavorable view of him, which greatly limits his ability to increase his support. Still, given Christie’s sharp anti-Trump rhetoric, we can probably expect him to keep leaning into that approach in the hopes that it’ll draw backing from more moderate and/or independent-minded voters who plan to vote in the GOP primary.

-Analysis by Geoffrey Skelley of 538

Scott, who is trailing the other debate participants in the polls, hopes to make his mark among voters looking for an alternative to Trump, a campaign spokesperson said ahead of the debate.

"At the end of the day, I think what I would expect from Sen. Scott is asking -- who can win?" Matt Gorman, a senior campaign adviser, said on ABC News Live Wednesday. "Is it gonna be a moderate who's coalescing the 'Never Trumpers' like Gov. Haley, or someone who's fallen two-thirds in the polls like Gov. DeSantis, whose only thing that's consistent about his campaign is how much it's underwhelmed?"

Gorman said Scott might look to focus on contrasts among the candidates on policy issues such as abortion. The senator has said that as president he would advocate for a 15-week national ban on abortion.

4:06

Scott hopes to have breakout moment in third GOP debate

A spokesperson for Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., talks about how he will go after other candidates and how he hopes to make his mark in the debate.

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-ABC News' Meredith Deliso

Olivia Perez-Cubas, a spokesperson for Haley's campaign, said the former South Carolina governor is " the only candidate on the stage who actually has momentum" heading into Wednesday's debate.

"She's in a strong position in all three early states, so for us, it's head down, do the work, be in those early states, meet with voters, share her vision and it's working," Perez-Cubas said on ABC News Live on Wednesday.

Perez-Cubas also said Haley wouldn't be afraid to take on Trump, who has retained his polling lead even as Haley sees her own numbers rise somewhat, while still significantly trailing him.

"When she agrees with Trump, she says it. When she disagrees with Trump, she says it," the spokesperson said. "She makes no qualms about it."

3:53

Haley prepares for third debate amid bump in polls

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley prepares for the third presidential debate as she sees in an increase in her poll numbers.

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-ABC News' Tal Axelrod