The Republican National Committee (RNC) voted Friday to pause its participation in 2024 presidential primary debates, allowing CNN and ABC News to host forums in January, according to Politico.
ABC News and CNN announced Thursday that they planned to host the 2024 Republican presidential candidates for debates in January. CNN noted at the time of its announcement that it expected the RNC to lift its rule that barred the White House hopefuls from participating in non-RNC-sanctioned debates such as its own.
Decided by a 16-member internal body, the RNC’s announcement allows networks, such as ABC and CNN who already have planned debates, to host debates independently of the GOP, Politico reported.
“We have no RNC debates scheduled in January and any debates currently scheduled are not affiliated with the RNC,” the RNC debates committee said in a statement. “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.”
Interesting update to this: CNN announced these debates without getting approval for them from the RNC, which will now vote on whether to release the candidates from their exclusivity agreements, as some candidates have asked throughout the cycle. This is buried deep in CNN’s… https://t.co/0Kwx5AyUi7 pic.twitter.com/6ajJxJBEr1
— Emily Jashinsky (@emilyjashinsky) December 8, 2023
CNN is set to hold two debates with one on Jan. 10 at Drake University in Iowa and its second Jan. 21 at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. After CNN announced its New Hampshire debate would take place at St. Anselm College, the institution reportedly said it was not aware of such a partnership.
“I have no idea about anything with any other network,” Neil Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm, told the Associated Press, referring to the debate with CNN.
“We can’t speak to any miscommunication within Saint Anselm, but we are moving forward with our plans to host a debate in New Hampshire on January 21,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Caller.
While the institution reportedly refuted CNN’s announcement, ABC News announced Thursday that it will host a debate on Jan. 18 at St. Anselm College.
Workers prepare to install a sign outside of the Frank Moody Music Building at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on December 05, 2023, ahead of the fourth Republican Presidential debate. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
In November, the RNC’s non-sanctioned debate rule came into play. After candidates were invited to the “Thanksgiving Family Forum” in Iowa, the RNC threatened the White House hopefuls in a letter, warning that if they participate, they will be unable to attend future RNC debates. Following the controversy, the RNC later decided to allow candidates to participate, deeming the “Thanksgiving Family Forum” not a debate.
For the first two primary debates, the RNC chose Fox News and Fox Business, while Young America’s Foundation (YAF), the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Univision were the partners for the forum. Univision anchor Ilia Calderón, Fox Business host Stuart Varney and Fox News host Dana Perino moderated the second debate. Calderón asked about racism and discrimination against LGBT people, questions that drew criticism for not asking about topics that are important to Republican voters.
Conservative outlets outside of the mainstream media told the Daily Caller after the second debate that they felt overlooked and frustrated. The RNC and the chairman of its Temporary Committee on Presidential Debates, David Bossie, had previously promised in 2022 that the 2024 presidential primary debates would be used to raise conservative media up and wouldn’t go to the “same old media outlets.”
RNC chose NBC News, alongside Salem Radio, the Republican Jewish Coalition and Rumble. The moderators for the third forum included NBC’s own Lester Holt, Kristen Welker and Salem Radio News’ Hugh Hewitt. (RELATED: Barring A Few Fiery Moments, RNC’s Third ‘Debate’ Looked More Like A TED Talk)
The fourth debate went to Washington Free Beacon, the Megyn Kelly Show and News Nation.
“We have held four successful debates across the country with the most conservative partners in the history of a Republican primary,” the RNC debates committee said in a statement.