Republican candidates for the presidency share their thoughts on participating in the January debate.
There are plans for three Republican presidential debates in January, but it is uncertain at this time which of the prominent candidates will participate or qualify for the events.
A discussion organized by CNN will take place in Iowa, the location of the initial Republican caucus. Meanwhile, CNN and ABC/WMUR will hold separate debates in New Hampshire, the site of the initial presidential primary. These debates offer an opportunity for candidates who are behind former president Donald Trump by significant margins to present their ideas on a national platform before voters cast their ballots.
The candidates’ eligibility to join will depend on fulfilling the criteria set by the organizations hosting the debates. However, as of Friday evening, only Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign has informed CBS News that the Ohio entrepreneur plans to attend all three upcoming debates, which were recently announced.
debate in Iowa and the ABC debate in New Hampshire.
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
DeSantis expressed his desire for Trump to attend the Iowa debate during a press conference held on Thursday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, following a campaign event.
DeSantis stated that the individual in question likely has many thoughts to share through typing, but it would be beneficial for them to physically stand on stage for two hours and answer questions like everyone else. He believes this would be expected by many voters who take this procedure seriously.
Trump has been absent from the last four Republican debates. There has been no response from his campaign regarding his potential participation in the upcoming January debates.
The team supporting Nikki Haley, the previous representative to the United Nations, chose not to provide a statement. The campaign for former New Jersey governor Chris Christie did not promptly reply to a request for comment.
Asa Hutchinson stated to CBS News that he would take part, but as the previous governor of Arkansas, he has not fulfilled the requirements for participation since the initial debate that took place in August.
What criteria must be met for the upcoming Republican debates?
The upcoming Iowa debate is scheduled for Jan. 10, only five days before the Hawkeye State’s caucuses. CNN states that candidates must comply with the rules and structure of the debate, as well as achieve at least 10% in three separate national and/or Iowa polls of Republican voters that meet CNN’s standards for reporting. Additionally, one of the qualifying polls must be an approved survey of likely Republican caucusgoers in Iowa.
The CNN debate in New Hampshire is set to take place on January 21st at St. Anselm College.
The top three contenders in the Iowa caucuses will receive an invitation to participate in the CNN New Hampshire debate. To qualify, they must have at least 10% support in three polls, with one of them being a “certified poll of likely Republican voters in New Hampshire.”
ABC News has recently revealed their intention to collaborate with WMUR-TV in hosting a debate at St. Anselm on January 18th. The New Hampshire Republican Party has generously sponsored this event.
Chris Ager, the chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, stated that the CNN debate in New Hampshire was organized without the support of the state party. On Friday, he shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the only debate endorsed by the New Hampshire GOP would be the ABC/WMUR debate.
Earlier this week, Ager informed CBS News that the state party had prepared backup plans in case the Republican National Committee decided not to sponsor debates.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) organized the initial four debates based on polling and fundraising criteria, but will not play a role in future debates. Two sources connected to the RNC state that many party members believe Trump will be the chosen candidate and that additional debates would not be beneficial.
The RNC Committee stated to CBS News on Friday that it is the responsibility of Republican primary voters to choose the next President. Candidates are permitted to utilize any medium or style of communication to reach out to voters according to their own discretion.
Reportedly, the report was contributed to by journalists in the CBS News Political Unit.
Shawna Mizelle
Source: cbsnews.com