Wednesday night saw the first televised debate among those vying for the Republican Party's presidential nomination.

Conspicuous by his absence was former President Donald Trump, who chose not to show up. However, there was another candidate who also didn't attend, and he's now facing calls to drop out. 

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez did not qualify for debate

According to Fox News, the Republican National Committee created a set of requirements that anyone who wished to debate on Wednesday night would have to meet.

These included a minimum of 40,000 donors with 200 in 20 or more states. What's more, candidates also had to poll at 1% at least in three national polls or a mix of national and early-state polls.

Fox News noted that while Miami Mayor Francis Suarez did succeed at accumulating the requisite number of donors but could not break the polling threshold.

That fact led Miami Herald to publish an editorial on Thursday arguing it is time for Suarez "face the music" and step away from the race.

The mayor previously said those who do not qualify should drop out

The article pointed to remarks the mayor made earlier in the month in which he suggested that those who could not qualify for the debate should not continue their candidacy.

"I agree that if you can’t meet the minimum thresholds, you shouldn’t be trying to take the time involved away from being productive," Suarez said to reporters during an appearance at the Iowa State Fair.

"I don’t think candidates should just sort of linger around ... if they don’t have a credible path," the mayor went on to add.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez suggests he may drop out of the race if he doesn’t qualify for the debate: “I’ll decide it then, but I have said that you know, I don’t think candidates should just sort of linger around if they’re not, if they don’t have a credible path.” pic.twitter.com/UtRLfdkcP2

— Dylan Wells (@dylanewells) August 11, 2023

The newspaper says Suarez "should call it a day"

"Staying in the race is a fruitless exercise that takes time away from Suarez’s mayoral duties," the Herald's editorial board complained.

"On paper, Suarez represents the future of the Republican Party. At 45, he’s young, Hispanic and a mayor in the nation’s third-largest state," it continued.

"But Miami’s bitcoin mayor — the darling of tech bros who have built a lot of hype around Miami’s emerging tech sector — was out of his depth running to lead the world’s most powerful democracy," the newspaper insisted.

"Is running for president just a vanity project, or is Miami’s ambitious mayor more concerned in using his bid as a jumping-off point for his next lucrative gig? Either way, he should call it a day," the editorial concluded.