The Republican National Committee has voted unanimously to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates, signaling a massive change is on the way for presidential debates.
Driving the news: The RNC voted Thursday that GOP presidential candidates will be required “to attest in writing that they will only appear at party-sanctioned primary and general election debates,” per The Wall Street Journal.
Flashback: Back in January, the GOP’s committee told the Commission on Presidential Debates — which has hosted presidential and vice-presidential debates for general elections for about 30 years — that it would change its rules so the party’s nominees would be prohibited from competing in CPD debates, per NPR.
What they said: “The RNC has shared our concerns with the CPD in good faith, carefully documenting why the party and its voters have lost faith in your organization, and we have proposed commonsense reforms that would restore trust in the debates process,” RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel wrote in a letter from January.
- “Unfortunately, neither the tone nor substance of your latest response inspires confidence that the CPD will meaningfully address the serious issues which the RNC has raised.”
The other side: The CPD said at the time that its “plans for 2024 will be based on fairness, neutrality and a firm commitment to help the American public learn about the candidates and the issues,” per The Hill.