CNN schedules GOP presidential debate in Des Moines ahead of Iowa caucuses
Two Republican presidential primary debates have been scheduled in Iowa and New Hampshire this month, not long before each state’s GOP nominating contest.
Video above: Recapping the 4th GOP presidential primary debate
CNN will host a Jan. 10 debate at Drake University in Des Moines, five days before the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, and a Jan. 21 debate at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, two days before that state’s leadoff primary.
Video above: An inside look at the different places thousands of Iowans will meet for the 2024 caucuses
Keith Schipper, the Republican National Committee’s communications director, posted on X that the CNN events “are not RNC-sanctioned debates.” According to a person familiar with the plans, the RNC’s Debates Committee is discussing releasing candidates from prohibitions on participating in debates not approved by the party, but that decision has not yet been made. The person was not authorized to discuss the plans publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
See more coverage ahead of the Iowa caucuses here.
The qualifications for candidates to participate in the debates have gotten stricter. To qualify for the Iowa debate, candidates must have registered at least 10% support in three separate polls as of Jan. 2, either nationally or in Iowa, according to CNN.
Qualifiers include former president Donald Trump, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Haley and DeSantis have said they'll participate in the CNN debate, scheduled for 8 p.m. Jan. 10, while Trump participates in a Fox News town hall at the same time.
Candidates who finish in one of the top three spots in the Iowa caucuses will be invited to participate in the New Hampshire debate, as well as those who meet CNN’s polling qualifications, which includes a 10% polling threshold in New Hampshire.
One of the three polls must be an approved CNN poll from the respective state. Unlike previous debates approved by the RNC, participants are not required to meet fundraising marks from a specific number of donors.
The qualifying window for the New Hampshire debate closes on Jan. 16.