Former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are the only candidates who qualified for CNN’s Republican primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 10, the outlet announced Tuesday.
The three exceeded the debate criteria, garnering more than 10% support in at least three separate national or Iowa polls that met the outlet’s standards, according to CNN. Trump opted instead for a counter-programming event on Fox News, while conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not meet the outlet’s requirements.
The debate will be moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash at Drake University at 9 p.m. ET just days ahead of the Jan. 15 caucus, according to the outlet. DeSantis and Haley have both agreed to participate.
Trump will participate in a town hall moderated by Fox News’ Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum during the same time slot, also in Des Moines, Iowa.
Ahead of CNN’s announcement, Ramaswamy announced in a post on X that he’d be participating in a live-audience conversation with Timcast News’ Tim Pool the same evening, also in Des Moines, Iowa.
The RealClearPolitics average for a 2024 national Republican primary, based on polls conducted between Dec. 4 and Dec. 29, indicates Trump has a 51-point lead on the field, followed by DeSantis and Haley both with 11.2%, Ramaswamy with 4.2%, Christie with 3.4% and Hutchinson with 0.8%.
In Iowa, Trump leads with 51.3% support, followed by DeSantis with 18.6%, Haley with 16.1%, Ramaswamy with 5.9%, Christie with 3.7% and Hutchinson with 0.7%, according to the RCP average.
CNN will host a subsequent debate in New Hampshire two days prior to the first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23. The outlet will invite candidates who place in the top three in Iowa’s caucus and meet CNN’s polling requirement, similar to the preceding debate.
ABC News, partnered with local station WMUR-TV, is holding a New Hampshire debate before the primary on Jan. 18. To participate in the event, candidates will have had to place in the top three in Iowa’s caucus or receive a minimum of 10% support in two national or New Hampshire polls that meet the outlet’s standards.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced Dec. 8 that presidential candidates would be allowed to participate in non-sanctioned debates, freeing them from a prior pledge they’d signed amid widespread criticism of the RNC’s four debates. While Trump skipped all of the four RNC debates in the fall, DeSantis, Haley, Christie and Ramaswamy appeared on each stage.
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