On Friday, December 8, CNN unveiled plans to host two Republican debates in January. The first of the two debates will be held in Des Moines, Iowa on January 10, 2024. The second debate is slated to take place on January 24, 2024 in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Candidates who hope to participate must be approved by CNN and receive the support of at least 10% of voters in three separate polls.
The most recent debate of Republican candidates took place on Wednesday, December 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy took part in the debate while former President Donald Trump was absent. Afterward, the Republican National Committee expressed its lack of desire to hold any future debates.
“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,” the Republican National Committee stated.
“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.”
In addition to CNN, ABC News has also announced that it will host a Republican debate in New Hampshire on January 18, 2023. Held in coordination with the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, the debate will be held at Saint Anselm College.
