CNN announced Thursday that it will hold two GOP primary debates in January, forcing the Republican National Committee to make a call on whether to drop its rules against candidates participating in non-RNC-sanctioned forums.
The first CNN debate will take place at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 10, a few days before the nation’s first caucus on January 15. The second forum will be held on January 21 at St. Anselm in Goffstown, NH, two days before Granite State Elementary.
The RNC has yet to announce whether it will hold additional debates, but is rumored to be considering ending its requirement that candidates not engage in outside events. So far this cycle, White House contenders have repeatedly sparred with the RNC about participating in a format that closely resembles a formal debate.
A person familiar with RNC decision-making confirmed to The Post that the committee is considering dropping sanctions.
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will be interested in participating in the CNN debate, their spokespeople told The Post. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posted on X that he “[l]looking forward to debating in Iowa!”
The other two leading candidates – former President Donald Trump and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley – did not immediately respond.
Republican presidential candidates (from left) former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at the Gap debate in Miami on November 8. Getty Images Ramaswmay, who has argued with the RNC the most candidates, will be interested in participating in the CNN debate, his spokeswoman said. Getty Images
White House hopefuls will have to meet stricter criteria to make CNN’s ranking.
To qualify for the Iowa debates, candidates must achieve at least 10% in three national and/or Iowa polls that meet CNN’s reporting criteria, the network announced. One of the votes must be a CNN poll of likely members of the Iowa GOP caucus, and the window to qualify closes on January 2.
To debate in New Hampshire, a White House candidate must also meet a minimum 10% threshold in either three CNN-approved national polls or a New Hampshire poll of likely Republican primary voters. One of the polls would have to be the New Hampshire GOP poll produced by CNN.
Trump has declined to attend any of the RNC-sanctioned debates so far, and participated in a town hall hosted by Fox News on Tuesday night. Fox News
The window to qualify for the New Hampshire debate closes on January 16, and candidates who finish in the top three positions in the Iowa caucuses will automatically receive an invitation to participate in the Granite State forum, according to CNN.
The RNC did not immediately respond to questions about whether it would allow candidates to participate in the CNN debate.
The RNC has so far held four debates, with four candidates qualifying for Wednesday night’s latest showdown in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
DeSantis, Haley, Ramaswamy and Christie all hit the 6% polling and 80,000 unique donor benchmarks presented by the RNC. Trump chose not to participate, as he has done with every other debate this cycle.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
