MIAMI — The third Republican primary debate is taking place in the shadow of this week's off-year elections, a reminder of what is at stake for the GOP if the party keeps underperforming with voters.

With a renewed sense of urgency, the five qualifying candidates — Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) — have promised to draw contrasts between themselves and the race's front-runner, former President Donald Trump.

REPUBLICAN DEBATE: RON DESANTIS FIGHTS ON HOME TURF TO HOLD OFF NIKKI HALEY THREAT

Here are three things the Washington Examiner is watching out for in Miami on Wednesday night:

DeSantis and Haley going head-to-head

There is "no question" that DeSantis will be under the most pressure during the debate, according to University of Michigan debate director Aaron Kall.

"He entered the race following a decisive reelection victory in Florida and was viewed as the potential Republican Party savior for 2024," Kall told the Washington Examiner. "Things have not quite gone according to plan since DeSantis entered the race, and Donald Trump remains a prohibitive favorite, despite skipping the first three Republican debates."

"DeSantis has been greatly improved on the debate stage in Milwaukee and Simi Valley but failed to gain any polling traction and connection with disaffected Trump voters," the co-author of Debating The Donald said.

But Haley has experienced a polling and fundraising bounce from the debates. Her campaign previewed her assertive strategy in an email this week with the subject headline, "These Boots Are Made for Lying," a reference to disputed reporting that DeSantis relies on lifts.

"Over the past year, Ron DeSantis and his friends spent $100 million only to lose half of his support in the polls," her aides said. "No wonder he’s desperate and throwing mud."

Haley's campaign claims DeSantis has been untruthful about his energy and foreign policies, specifically regarding Haley's position on refugees and his stance on Chinese foreign investment in Florida.

DeSantis's campaign maintains the governor won the first two debates by "staying focused on laying out his vision to reverse our nation’s decline."

"He has a proven record of securing victories for the conservative movement that is unmatched by anyone else on tonight’s debate stage," DeSantis spokesman Andrew Romeo said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Trump's campaign has reveled in Haley's criticism as the former president and his team remain fixated on DeSantis because the pair share more voters.

"A new ad by Nikki 'Birdbrain' Haley eviscerates Ron DeSanctimonious on his troublesome record of being against fracking and drilling," his campaign said. "In what will turn out to be a battle of losers on the debate stage in Miami on Wednesday, DeSanctus seems to be the punching bag everyone will have their way with."

Candidates tying Trump to this week's election results

Haley has made electability central to her campaign since she announced her run in February. Her campaign underscored her argument on Wednesday after this week's disappointing election results for Republicans and the New York Times-Siena College poll.

"After Republicans suffered big losses in the 2022 midterms, the pattern continues one year later," her campaign said. "Whether it’s a purple state like Virginia, a leaning red state like Ohio, or a deep red state like Kentucky, the election results last night were bad for Republicans."

"She is +9 against Biden in the New York Times-Siena College poll of battleground states, while Trump is +3," her staff added. "To beat Biden and save America, the data is conclusive: Trump is a loser, DeSantis is a loser, [and] Haley is a winner."

But DeSantis also contends he is "prepared" to "fill the leadership vacuum in Washington by fighting the tough fights, delivering big wins, and leading our American Comeback" after portraying himself as Trump with the accomplishments and without the drama.

"Last night’s disappointing results show why Republicans need a winner to lead the future of the party, and Ron DeSantis is the man for the moment," Romeo, the DeSantis spokesman, said.

The Trump campaign disagreed with their argument and is set to counterprogram the debate with a rally in nearby Hialeah.

"DeSanctimonious and Birdbrain are nothing more than loser candidates who will get up on the debate stage and talk into the wind as voters have tuned them out completely," Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told the Washington Examiner. "At this point, they're just competing for who gets the MSNBC contributorship contract once their campaigns flame out."

Foreign policy taking center stage

Foreign policy is poised to be discussed more than previous debates amid Israel's war on Hamas, particularly after Trump scrutinized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and praised the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah following the Oct. 7 attacks. That is likely to advantage Haley, per Ed Lee, director of Emory University's Alben W. Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue.

"Nikki Haley seems attractive to those more mainstream Republicans who remember when the party’s leadership was dominated by people willing to strike a balance between pursuing a fiscally constrained federal government and sustaining a U.S. global presence," Lee said.

"She is a diplomat unwilling to embrace a scorched earth campaign that wrecks the government to achieve the party’s goals," he continued. "Yes. That is disqualifying for some in the Republican Party. However, I think there are many Republicans watching in horror as each vote for the speaker of the House of Representatives creates more drama and another crisis."

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The Republican Jewish Coalition additionally partnered with the Republican National Committee to co-host the debate as the Middle East appears tipped to become a general election issue as well.

“The Republican Jewish Coalition’s work is more vital and important than ever, and that is why, for the very first time in the history of either party, the RNC has partnered with the RJC for the debate in Miami," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told the Washington Examiner. "I stand with Israel, the Republican Party stands with Israel, and that is why we need you to vote Republican.”