The Republican National Committee lifted all restrictions on debate participation on Friday, allowing 2,024 candidates to participate in any forum of their choice — and paving the way for three showdowns next month ahead of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.
“Now is the time for Republican primary voters to decide who will be our next president and for independent candidates to use any forum or format to communicate to voters according to their needs,” the RNC said in a statement, noting it had held four debates with ” the most conservative partner in history” of the GOP race.
Several candidates — including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, biotech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — have complained about restrictions that prevented them from participating in RNC-sanctioned debates for the first few months of the campaign.
On Thursday, CNN announced it will host debates on January 10 in Iowa and January 21 in New Hampshire. That same day, ABC and its affiliate in Manchester, NH, WMUR-TV, announced they would also host a debate in the Granite State on January 18.
(From left) Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy participate in Wednesday’s fourth GOP debate in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Reuters
The Iowa Republican caucus will be held on January 15th, with the New Hampshire primary to follow on January 23rd.
The RNC has no additional debates scheduled after hosting forums Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wis., Sept. 27 in Simi Valley, Calif., Nov. 8 in Miami, Fla., and Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
CNN said it would raise the eligibility bar for its debates to include a minimum 10% vote in either three national polls or Iowa and New Hampshire polls of likely Republican voters who meet the network’s reporting criteria.
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel got a warm welcome from Vivek Ramaswamy about the committee’s handling. AP
Ramaswamy is interested in participating in the CNN debate, his spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told The Post Thursday, while Christie spokesman Karl Rickett said the campaign would look into the possibility of participating.
Meanwhile, DeSantis posted on X that he is “[l]looking forward to debating in Iowa!”
There was no immediate word from the campaigns of either former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley or former President Donald Trump whether they would participate in either debate.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
