Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl expressed confidence around noon Thursday that news was forthcoming about the state hosting, for the first time ever, a televised presidential debate.

“I can’t announce anything yet,” Wahl told a gathering of the Eastern Shore Republican Women in Fairhope. “Take my no comment as a good sign.”

A few hours later, the good sign turned sour for Wahl and Alabama Republicans who had hoped for hosting the third presidential primary debate. A CNN report posted online Thursday afternoon suggested that Miami will host a third presidential debate scheduled for sometime in early November.

The Republican National Committee has not confirmed the date nor location for the next debate. The national reports cited unnamed sources linking the third debate to Miami, and not Alabama. The second debate is less than two weeks away, set for September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. It will be hosted by Fox Business.

Wahl, on Friday, said he remains optimistic of Alabama hosting a debate despite the sudden shift in plans.

“I worked hard to advocate for Alabama to get a presidential primary debate,” Wahl told AL.com. “Whether the third debate is in Miami or not, we still hope to have one in Alabama at some point.”

In the past two months, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the third debate was coming to Alabama.

Christie, late last month during an appearance on “Morning Joe,” said the debate will happen in Tuscaloosa.

Brilyn Hollyhand, a representative of the RNC Youth Advisory Council and a Tuscaloosa area resident, said the decision from the Republican National Committee is “not an anti-Alabama decision.”

“It’s not that the RNC is upset with Alabama or the university,” said Hollyhand, who has pitched the idea of having a debate take place at the University of Alabama or on a college campus.

“This is not over,” Hollyhand said. “There is still a possibility in the future.”

Hollyhand said the decision is likely “political,” noting that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flipped reliably blue Miami-Dade County during last year’s governor’s race. It was the first time in 20 years Miami-Dade County voters backed a Republican candidate for Florida governor during a general election contest.

DeSantis is trailing former President Donald Trump — the GOP frontrunner — by 41.2 percentage points, according to according to a FiveThirtyEight aggregate of polling into the Republican presidential contest. Trump is at 55.5%, while DeSantis is second at 14.2%, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is third at 7.3%.

Trump has said he will skip all of the GOP presidential primary debates.

Alabama, a reliably red state, could be in the running for a fourth primary debate that likely would not take place until December. It’s unclear if any other city is in the running.

Hollyhand said there will be limited debate opportunities after the New Year after the 2024 Iowa GOP primary caucuses set for January 15, and the New Hampshire primary occurring a week later. Alabama’s GOP primary is set for March 5, 2024.