Could this be Scott or Christie’s last debate?
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
