ABC News and CNN have announced their upcoming GOP debates in New Hampshire have been canceled.
The first New Hampshire debate, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18, sponsored by ABC News and WMUR, originally invited four candidates: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Chris Christie.
Shortly after the invites went out, Christie exited the race entirely and Trump, as with all other previous debates, said he wouldn’t be attending.
This caused Nikki Haley to refuse participation unless Trump joined the stage as well.
The result played out as expected:
ABC News and WMUR are canceling their planned Republican primary debate in New Hampshire on Thursday, citing a lack of candidate participation.
“Our intent was to host a debate coming out of the Iowa caucuses, but we always knew that would be contingent on the candidates and the outcome of the race,” an ABC News spokesperson said in a statement. “As a result, while our robust election coverage will continue, ABC News and WMUR-TV will not be moving forward with Thursday’s Republican presidential primary debate in New Hampshire.”
The decision comes shortly after a deadline set by ABC News and New Hampshire TV station WMUR for both former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley to respond to their invitations to the debate by Tuesday afternoon.
Neither campaign confirmed they would attend.
Haley, knowing full well Trump wouldn’t be stepping foot on a debate stage, pulled the stunt as an effort to avoid another ugly and boring slugfest with DeSantis. Looking at the poll numbers in New Hampshire tells the tale. It’s DeSantis, not Haley, who needed another debate before New Hampshire. On the other hand, is there anything left to gain from a two-hour bash fest where two candidates tediously argue over which one is more of a liar?
Following suit, CNN, which had a debate scheduled for Sunday, January 21, in New Hampshire, canceled the event for the same reason as ABC News. A lack of candidates:
CNN is scrapping plans to host a sixth Republican presidential primary debate after only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed to participate.
“CNN is no longer moving forward with a New Hampshire Republican Presidential Primary Debate, as only one qualifying candidate accepted our invitation to take the stage. We will continue to pursue other opportunities as the campaign season progresses through 2024, including candidate Town Halls.”
The debate was originally scheduled to take place in New Hampshire on Sunday. After former President Trump’s runaway victory in this week’s Iowa caucuses, however, former Haley said she would not attend any further debates not attended by Trump, who did not participate in the first five.
The only one left out in the cold is DeSantis who agreed to join both debates but was abandoned by his opponents.
The only question remaining is when DeSantis decides to call it quits. He’s vowed to continue for a bit but if he gets wiped out in New Hampshire after losing Iowa, where’s the path forward? He would be better served by cutting his losses, returning to Florida, and trying to forget this doomed endeavor ever happened.
From here on out, there will likely be no more GOP primary debates moving forward this cycle.
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