For several cycles now, Republicans have been complaining that the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is often one-sided and biased in the way it selects moderators and puts GOP candidates at an automatic disadvantage. Now, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel seems poised to do something about it. No candidates are obliged to participate in the official CPD debates, but each side has always capitulated after some back-and-forth arguing over moderators and format.
That may change if the Republican National Committee decides to adopt a new party rule that would prohibit future presidential candidates from participating in official CPD debates:
The Republican National Committee alerted the Committee on Presidential Debates on Thursday that it plans to require GOP candidates to not attend presidential debates run by the commission going forward.
“The RNC will initiate the process of amending the Rules of the Republican Party at our upcoming Winter Meeting to prohibit future Republican nominees from participating in CPD-sponsored debates,” wrote Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel in the letter, which was obtained by The Hill.
McDaniel wrote the GOP voters “have lost trust” in the commission and noted that the RNC has proposed a number of reforms to the debate process.
Among the many concerns voiced by Republicans, often primarily concerning the moderator and format, is the timing of the first debate which hasn’t accounted for early voting in many states:
One major concern for the R.N.C. was the timing of the first debate in the 2024 election cycle.
In 2020, more than one million ballots were cast before the first presidential debate on Sept. 29 that year, after some states changed their election rules because of the coronavirus pandemic and expanded both absentee and early voting. The party has been pushing the commission to host a debate before early voting begins in 2024.
What remains to be seen is whether the RNC threat to ban candidates from CPD debate participation is a serious move, or a bluff intended to get the commission to soften its stance on some requested reforms.
The full letter is available here:
For years, the Commission on Presidential Debates has shown bias against Republicans.
Since they continue to stonewall commonsense reforms, the RNC is leveling the playing field to make debates fair for future nominees.
See our full letter below. pic.twitter.com/GwrCfz29dV
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) January 13, 2022
The other issue is diminishing time, and the CPD is very, very good at dragging its feet and taking comments from campaigns and the public, then doing practically nothing to address the concerns:
But in her letter on Thursday, Ms. McDaniel replied that the commission’s response seemed designed to “delay any reform until it is too late to matter for the 2024 election.”
She added that the Republican National Committee’s duty was to ensure that its candidates debated their opponents on a level playing field.
“So long as the C.P.D. appears intent on stonewalling the meaningful reforms necessary to restore its credibility with the Republican Party as a fair and nonpartisan actor, the R.N.C. will take every step to ensure that future Republican presidential nominees are given that opportunity elsewhere,” Ms. McDaniel wrote.
This move is a good thing for voters, in particular, since the CPD has become an establishment club meant to protect the status quo. In fact, both parties usually coalesce around the CPD as a way to prevent third-party candidates from having access to a national audience. That part will probably never change.
The RNC has valid concerns, and it will be interesting to see what they come up with during their winter meeting and how the CPD responds.
