CNN
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CNN will host two Republican presidential primary debates next month in Iowa and New Hampshire — the first contesting states in the race for the 2024 GOP nomination, the network announced Thursday.
These events will give Republican voters a chance to hear the governing philosophies of the leading candidates seeking to challenge Democratic presidential nominee President Joe Biden in November.
The first debate will be held Jan. 10 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, less than a week before Iowa caucuses weigh in on the Republican presidential race. The second debate will be held on January 21 at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire.
To be eligible to participate in the Iowa debate, candidates must receive at least 10% in three separate national and/or Iowa polls of Republican caucus members or primary voters who meet CNN’s standards, according to the network. One of the three polls must be an authorized CNN poll of Iowa Republicans.
Candidates will be invited to participate in the New Hampshire debate if they receive at least 10% of Republican primary voters in three separate national and/or New Hampshire polls that meet CNN standards for reporting. One of the three polls must be an authorized CNN poll of New Hampshire Republican primary voters. Candidates who finish in one of the top three places in the Iowa caucuses will receive an invitation to participate in the New Hampshire debate.
Former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis all won at least 10% in three qualifying polls. “Looking forward to the debate in Iowa!” DeSantis wrote in a post on X on Thursday.
The qualifying window for the Iowa debate ends on January 2 and the New Hampshire debate qualifying period ends on January 16.
According to the network, in each debate, candidates must meet the definition of “natural-born citizen,” as well as the age and residency requirements defined in Article 1, Section 1 of the Constitution. The Central Election Commission and agrees to adopt the rules and format of the debate.
Only polling data collected from polls that begin before October 15th and are released after 12:05pm on January 2nd will be considered to determine voting eligibility in Iowa.
In New Hampshire, only polling data collected from polls beginning before November 1st and released after 12:05pm on January 16th will be considered.
Poll results reported with a decimal place are not rounded up or down in either case.
National and state polls show former President Donald Trump leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination. But a handful of Republican candidates are vying to replace Trump.
Republican National Committee Friday said Candidates can participate in any forum or debate they choose in January, freeing them from a previous requirement barring them from participating in non-RNC-sanctioned debates.
“We have had four successful debates across the country with the most conservative partners in Republican primary history. We have no RNC debates scheduled for January and none of the currently scheduled debates are affiliated with the RNC,” the RNC’s Presidential Debates Committee said in a statement. It’s time for primary voters to decide, and candidates are free to use whatever forum or format they choose to communicate with voters.”
ABC News and WMUR-TV will carry the Republican presidential primary debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, following the Iowa caucuses. The debate will be held at St. Anselm College on January 18, coordinated by the New Hampshire Republican State Committee.
Read the full CNN Debate Scale below.
To receive an invitation to the January 10, 2024, CNN Republican Presidential Primary Debate, a candidate must:
• Meet the requirements outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the United States Constitution.
• File nomination papers with the Central Election Commission.
• Reach at least 10% (without rounding) of Republican caucuses or primary voters in three separate national and/or Iowa polls that meet CNN’s standards for reporting. One of the three qualifying polls must be an approved poll of Republican members of the Iowa caucus.
• I agree to accept the rules and format of the discussion.
Approved Surveys:
To determine eligibility, only polling data collected from polls beginning before October 15, 2023 and released after January 2, 2024 at 12:05 PM will be considered. Poll results reported with a decimal place are not rounded up or down.
To receive an invitation to the January 21, 2024, CNN Republican Presidential Primary Debate, a candidate must:
• Meet the requirements outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the United States Constitution.
• File nomination papers with the Central Election Commission.
• Achieve at least 10% (without rounding) in three separate national and/or New Hampshire polls of Republican primary voters who meet CNN standards for reporting. One of the three qualifying polls must be an authorized poll of New Hampshire Republican primary voters.
• The candidate who finishes in the top three in the Iowa caucuses will receive an invitation to participate in the New Hampshire debate.
• I agree to accept the rules and format of the discussion.
Approved Surveys:
To determine eligibility, only polling data collected from polls beginning before November 1, 2023 and released after January 16, 2024 at 12:05 PM will be considered. Poll results reported with a decimal place are not rounded up or down.
Polls that meet CNN’s standards for reporting and are published during the qualifying period will be counted in determining candidate eligibility: CNN, CNN/University of New Hampshire, Fox News, Marquette University Law School, Monmouth University, Monmouth University/The Washington Post, NBC News, NBC News/Des. Moines Register/Mediacom and Quinnipiac University. Other polls that meet CNN’s standards for reporting were recently examined in the race for the Republican nomination but were not conducted during the qualifying period: CBS News/YouGov, Marist College, The New York Times/Siena College, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post/ABC News. .
