TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (NewsNation) — Republican White House hopefuls will assemble Wednesday at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa as NewsNation hosts the fourth Republican presidential debate. 

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will take the stage at 8 p.m. ET in one of their final attempts to address voters before primary elections begin.

On Monday, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum suspended his campaign, condemning ”the RNC’s clubhouse debate requirements” that he argued “are nationalizing the primary process.”

Former President Donald Trump won’t attend the debate. Instead, he’ll host a closed-door campaign fundraiser in Florida.

“I think there’s a lot of people that their mind is not made up; mine is not necessarily made up,” said Tuscaloosa County Republican Chair Quinn Row.

He emphasized that even in a state that heavily favors Trump, undecided voters are still searching for a viable alternative.

“You’re in a very, very conservative state. So, people want to know that you are a person who is not just a political creature and you’re someone that’s going to represent them, their families, their beliefs, their interests,” Row said.

For candidates, the debate could potentially be the last chance they get to make their case to a national audience before the primaries begin after the holidays. With the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire kicking off primary elections, candidates will have to focus on local efforts to woo voters.

The debate has captured the attention of voters across generations. Brilyn Hollyhand, a Tuscaloosa teen and co-chair of the RNC Youth Advisory Council, told NewsNation he and others his age will be focused on what candidates say about their plan for a better future.

“We want to hear about a path forward — don’t talk about the past. Want to hear who has the best strategic organized plan about where they’re going to take this country. This election is going to affect us, my generation, the generation that we raise our kids or grandkids.”

To qualify for the fourth debate, candidates needed at least 6% support in two national polls or 6% in one national poll as well as two polls from four of the early-voting states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. All the polls used for qualification must have been approved by the RNC.

The White House hopefuls also needed at least 80,000 unique donors, with at least 200 of those coming from 20 states or territories. They also had to sign an RNC pledge promising to support the party’s eventual nominee.