CNN announced on Thursday that the network will host two Republican primary debates in January, mere days before the Iowa and New Hampshire Caucuses. However, the confirmation of the events, released mere hours after what was supposed to be the fourth and final debate in Tuscaloosa, apparently came as a complete surprise to the Republican Party, the candidates, and even the intended debate venues.
Per CNN’s announcement:
The first debate will take place on January 10 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, less than a week before Iowa caucus-goers weigh in on the Republican presidential race. The second debate will be January 21 at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire.
The network went on to reveal that the first debate in Iowa will feature even stricter participation requirements than the fourth debate on Wednesday night, with candidates needing at least 10 percent support in approved national polls. The qualifying window will close on January 2, and the deadline for reporting equivalent polling for the New Hampshire Debate will be January 16.
Related: Learn More About the Milwaukee, Simi Valley, Miami, and Tuscaloosa Debates
But despite the certainty of CNN’s statement, none of the other parties involved in planning and hosting the debates seemed to know anything about the plan.
“The CNN thing came out and everybody’s like, ‘What the heck?’” said New Hampshire GOP chairman Chris Ager according to The New York Times. “I’m still scratching my head. And I still haven’t been contacted by CNN at all.”
“For a big, professional organization like that, putting out a location on this date and the location doesn’t know — something’s not quite right,” he continued.
Officials from St. Anselm College confirmed this soon after: the school had no idea what CNN was planning.
“We were surprised to be included on a press release by a network about a debate which we had not planned or booked,” said Neil Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics and Political Library at St. Anselm, in an X post. “Such a debate announcement breached the RNC debate rules. We have and will continue to work with the Republican Party on debates.”
@SaintAnselm @nhiop we were surprised to be included on a press release by a network about a debate which we had not planned or booked. Such a debate announcement breached the RNC debate rules. We have and will continue to work with the Republican Party on debates. #nhpolitics
— Neil Levesque (@NeilLevesque) December 8, 2023
A further complication to the plan is the fact that ABC News, CNN’s broadcasting competitor, has spent months planning a GOP debate that will also take place at St. Anselm just three days before CNN’s.
ABC’s New Hampshire debate will be held on January 18, and participation requirements have not been announced. However, at the time of these announcements, one major hurdle stood in the way of both networks.
As Levesque indicated, the current rules of the Republican National Committee prohibit candidates from attending unsanctioned debates under penalty of exclusion from future party gatherings. However, on Friday, 16 RNC officials held a pre-planned meeting and decided to lift the restriction, bowing out of planning and hosting additional debates this election cycle.
“We have held four successful debates across the country with the most conservative partners in the history of a Republican primary. We have no RNC debates scheduled in January and any debates currently scheduled are not affiliated with the RNC. It is now time for Republican primary voters to decide who will be our next President and candidates are free to use any forum or format to communicate to voters as they see fit,” said a statement from the RNC’s Committee on Presidential Debates.
CNN could not speak to the miscommunication with either the college or the RNC, but confirmed that the New Hampshire debate would proceed as planned after the change in rules. The unsanctioned Iowa debate is also expected to move forward.
So far, only Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has confirmed his participation in any of the events.
Look forward to debating in the Granite State next month! https://t.co/JPq2DJTYTy
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 8, 2023
Looking forward to debating in Iowa! https://t.co/qeCvrTLwqy
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 7, 2023
However, candidates including biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have previously called for more debates out from under the RNC’s control.
The CNN debate in Iowa is scheduled for January 10. ABC’s debate in New Hampshire will be held on January 18, followed by the CNN debate on January 21.
The Iowa Caucus will be held on January 15, and the New Hampshire Caucus on January 23.
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