ABC News announces GOP debate set for days before New Hampshire primary

ABC News announced on Thursday that it will be hosting its own GOP presidential primary debate in New Hampshire days ahead of the Republican primary in the state.

The debate will be held on Jan. 18, 2024, at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, ahead of the Jan. 23 GOP primary and the Jan. 21 CNN debate in the same location. ABC’s Manchester affiliate, WMUR-TV, will co-host the debate, which is being held in coordination with the New Hampshire Republican State Committee.

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“ABC News is excited to host this Republican debate with our partners in the nation’s first primary state of New Hampshire,” ABC News President Kim Godwin said in a statement. “Our powerhouse political team has been working hard on this debate to provide our audience with the opportunity to hear from the candidates at this decisive moment in the primary race.”

The debate qualifications, moderators, and start time will be announced later, but the announcement comes hours after CNN announced a pair of debates ahead of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

The flurry of debates has been announced as RNC officials will reportedly be in Washington, D.C., on Friday to decide whether to allow presidential candidates to appear in debates not sanctioned by the RNC

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It remains unknown which candidates will participate or will qualify for the upcoming debates, but Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) expressed his eagerness to participate in both the CNN and ABC News debates with separate posts on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.

The RealClearPolitics polling average shows former President Donald Trump leading the GOP field in the Granite State with 45.7%, followed by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley with 18.7%, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie with 11.3%, and DeSantis with 7.7%.