Christie, Ramaswamy and Hutchinson not invited to next GOP debate

(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - It looks like the next GOP debate will feature just two candidates, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.

Haley and DeSantis are trying to position themselves as an alternative to former President Trump.

CNN, which is hosting the debate in Iowa next Wednesday, says neither Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, nor Asa Hutchinson qualified through polling to be included.

The network says in order to be invited, a candidate must receive at least 10% in three separate national and/or Iowa polls of Republican caucusgoers or primary voters that meet CNN's standards for reporting.

Meanwhile, former President Trump, the consensus leader in the GOP race for the nomination, will again skip the debate. He plans to take part in a Fox News town hall event that same night.

The next GOP debate will take place January 10 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, just five days before the Iowa caucuses begin.