Republican presidential candidates converging on Florida. Will debate make any difference?

The fierce battle — for second place — in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination moves to Florida for a series of events that could help decide who gets selected if something derails the overwhelming frontrunner, Donald Trump.

Or, more likely, the current trajectory continues — unhappily for other candidates, like Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The marquee event, or what organizers hoped would be the big attention-grabber, is Wednesday night. A shrunken array of candidates, all of whom are running far behind Trump in public opinion polls, will appear on stage in Miami for the third debate among Republican hopefuls.

At virtually the same time, Trump holds his own event. Thumbing his nose at the rest of the Republican field, Trump is holding his rally nearby, in Hialeah.