The Republican National Committee announced last year it would hold a debate in Florida sometime in March but then took its sweet time nailing down a date or location. They've now scheduled that debate for March 10 at the University of Miami.
The debate will follow the March 9 Democratic face-off, held at the Kendall campus of Miami Dade College, to be cohosted by Univision and The Washington Post.
The Republican debate will be moderated by CNN with Salem Radio and the Washington Times.
The Times' involvement in the debate has some observers scratching their heads. The D.C.-based publication has a small fraction of the readership of its local competitor, the Washington Post, and is known for its strong conservative bent. It's also owned by a group associated with the Unification Church, a Korean-based church known for its mass weddings.
Though, the Republican debates
Both party's Miami debates will come after Super Tuesday but directly ahead of primaries in Florida, Illinois, and North Carolina. It's anyone's guess who will participate by then.
A hometown debate could certainly help Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush if either is still in the race by then.
Miami also pulled double duty as a debate host for both parties in the 2008 cycle. Republicans didn't hold an official debate here during 2012, but Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich did sit down for back-to-back interviews on Univision in an event held on UM's campus.
