Republican Presidential Debates Scheduled Ahead of State Primaries
Two television networks have announced their plans to hold separate Republican presidential debates just before the upcoming GOP primary in New Hampshire. However, officials at Saint Anselm College, the location for the debates, claim they are only aware of one of these events.
CNN stated earlier in the day that they would be hosting a debate on January 10th at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, just five days before the state's caucuses. They also announced a second debate scheduled for January 21st at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, just two days before the state's primary.
Later on, ABC News and WMUR-TV revealed their collaboration for a debate on January 18th at Saint Anselm College.
Neil Levesque, the executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm, expressed his lack of knowledge regarding any plans for an event with CNN. He stated that he had no information about other networks besides the event mentioned.
While there were quotes from Levesque in the news release about the ABC and WMUR-TV debate, there were no statements from any Saint Anselm officials in CNN's release about their Iowa and New Hampshire debates. However, Drake University did issue its own news release regarding CNN's Iowa debate.
CNN declined to comment on this situation.
These debate announcements come after recent discussions between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the fourth debate of the 2024 primary season. Notably, former President Donald Trump, the current front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, has not participated in any debates and has stated that he does not intend to do so.
CNN and ABC Debates: RNC's Standpoint
The upcoming CNN and ABC debates have recently stirred some controversy surrounding their affiliation with the Republican National Committee (RNC). Keith Schipper, the RNC's communications director, stated on X that these events are not RNC-sanctioned debates. Similarly, Chris Ager, chair of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, mentioned in a news release that the ABC debate would take place subject to RNC guidelines.
However, there seems to be some flexibility within the RNC's Debates Committee regarding candidates participating in non-approved debates. A knowledgeable source revealed that the committee is discussing the possibility of releasing candidates from prohibitions on participating in such debates, although no final decision has been made yet. This information comes from a confidential conversation with the Associated Press (AP).
The qualifications for candidates to participate in these debates are becoming more stringent. For the CNN Iowa debate, candidates must achieve a minimum of 10% support in three separate polls, either nationally or in Iowa. This requirement has been set by CNN itself.
Regarding the ABC New Hampshire debate, CNN has specified that candidates who finish among the top three spots in the Iowa caucuses will be invited to participate. Additionally, candidates can qualify for this debate by meeting CNN's polling qualification, which includes a 10% polling threshold specifically in New Hampshire. It is important to note that at least one of the three qualifying polls must be an approved CNN poll from the respective state. Notably, unlike previous RNC approved debates, participants in these debates are not required to meet specific fundraising goals based on the number of donors.
For those eyeing the Iowa debate, it is crucial to keep in mind that the qualifying window closes on January 2. For the New Hampshire debate, candidates have until January 16 to meet the qualifications.
As for ABC and WMUR-TV, they have yet to disclose the qualifications for their New Hampshire debate. Further information regarding this matter will be released at a later date.
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