REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Two hours before the third official Republican presidential debate, the four lower-polling GOP candidates will participate in a so-called undercard debate.
The hour-long contest includes candidates who did not garner an average of 2.5% support in select national polls necessary to qualify for the main-stage debate.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) and former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) will all participate in Wednesday's early debate, which will begin at 6 p.m. ET on CNBC.
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore (R), who is also seeking the Republican nomination, did not meet the threshold to qualify, which required at least 1% support in one of several select national polls.
Though the previous two early contests have been less watched than the main debates, Wednesday's early debate can still offer the candidates a potential springboard to the main stage.
Following a well-received performance in the undercard debate in Ohio in August, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina saw a fundraising spike and a jump in the polls that helped her qualify for the main-stage debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in September.