It's about that time again. The third Republican presidential debate, titled "Your Money, Your Vote" is slated to go, with the top polling GOP candidates taking the stage to debate the issues and make their case for the presidency. Hosted by CNBC, the debate will take place Wednesday night, Oct. 28, at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and be limited to two hours, according to the network.
The debate will focus on economic issues, including retirement spending, taxes, and job growth. Tech policy is also slated to come up, according to Politico.
"We focus on money – from financial markets and economies around the world to the most fundamental pocketbook issues involving savings and retirement," said Mark Hoffman, CNBC chairman. "Financial freedom, entrepreneurship and job growth are core to Americans' decision-making process when they cast their vote."
The Republican's third debate comes after a wealth of changes since the second in September. Early front-runner Scott Walker dropped out of the race, Carly Fiorina surged on the basis of a strong performance but has since dipped again, and Ben Carson has surged to the top of the polls ahead of previously consistent front-runner Donald Trump, as reported by HNGN. Trump and Carson will occupy the two center podiums, with the former polling at 25.22 percent and the latter at 19.78 percent in the qualifying period.
Predictions: Cruz will continue to make steady progress and gain on both Trump and Carson. Jeb Bush will come at Trump hard and will try to expose Carson's inexperience. Bush will be standing further away from center stage this time, so keeping in the focus will be important to stay in the race.
Here's your first look at the #CNBCGOPDebate stage! Full coverage: https://t.co/Gvoyk5Y1qt pic.twitter.com/PablUlhnjp
— CNBC (@CNBC) October 27, 2015
What: There are two different debates taking place Wednesday night. The first is at 6 p.m., for the Republican presidential candidates who did not finish in the top 10 on average in the qualifying polls. The main event is at 8 p.m., which features the candidates who finished in that top 10.
Where: The University of Colorado at Boulder, at the Coors Event Center.
Who: Moderators include CNBC Chief Washington correspondent John Harwood, and the co-anchors of "Squawk Box," Becky Quick and Carl Quintanilla.
Candidates participating
6 p.m. debate - Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, and former New York Gov. George Pataki.
8 p.m. debate - Business mogul Donald Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson will occupy center stage. To Trump's right: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. To Carson's left: Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Kentucky senator Rand Paul.
Rules
Just like the previous debates, viewers will see the field in two separate debates: a primary debate of the four candidates polling at at least 1 percent, taking place at 6 p.m. and followed by the prime-time event that includes the top 10 candidates polling at 2.5 percent or greater. To appear in the 8 p.m. debate, candidates must have an average of 3 percent among national polls that were released from Sept. 17 to Oct. 21 from NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN and Bloomberg, according to NBC.
How To Watch
CNBC is only making its live streaming service available to those who have a cable subscription, but that live stream is available here. Otherwise, the debate will air on your local CNBC channel.
Online: Follow HNGN's President and editorial director @mbullerdick for his live tweets during both events!
Drinking games!
After a calculated, deep investigation, we found these sites' drinking games to be most exciting and fun for viewers, regardless of party affiliation. Or if you are solely watching to get drunk.
A word to the wise, though! Know your limit and drink in moderation, because as Surgeon General Vivek Murthy points out, "You simply can't drink every time one of these guys says something silly... It's just a formula for disaster."
These are only the third pair of debates of the 2016 presidential cycle. Many more are set to take place. Some have exact dates and sponsors already set, while others are still being planned. Check below to see all of the debates scheduled between now and election day 2016, courtesy of USPresidentialElectionNews.com.
Remaining Debate Schedule
November 10, 2015
Fox Business/WSJ Republican Debate
Aired On: Fox Business Network
Location: Milwaukee Theater, Wisconsin
Sponsors: Fox Business Network, Wall Street Journal
Candidates: To be determined
December 15, 2015
CNN/Salem Republican Debate
Aired On: CNN
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Sponsors: CNN, Salem Media Group
Candidates: To be determined
January, 2016
Fox News Republican Debate
Aired On: Fox News Channel
Location: Iowa
Sponsors: Fox News
Candidates: To be determined
February 6, 2016
ABC/IJReview Republican Debate
Aired On: ABC
Location: St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire
Sponsors: ABC News, IJReview.com (Press Release)
Candidates: To be determined
February 13, 2016
CBS News Republican Debate
Aired On: CBS
Location: South Carolina
Sponsors: CBS News
Candidates: To be determined
February 26, 2016
NBC/Telemundo Republican Debate
Aired On: NBC and Telemundo
Location: Texas
Sponsors: NBC/Telemundo, National Review
Candidates: To be determined
March, 2016*
Fox News Republican Debate
Aired On: Fox News Channel
Location: TBD
Sponsors: Fox News
Candidates: To be determined
March 10, 2016
CNN/Salem Republican Debate
Aired On: CNN
Location: Florida
Sponsors: CNN, Salem Media Group
Candidates: To be determined
