The Republican National Committee announced it could move to prohibit its future nominees from participating in events sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
In a letter sent to the co-chairs of the CPD on Thursday, obtained by the Washington Examiner, the RNC accused the organization of stonewalling its requests for reforms to the debate process. The RNC said that as long as the commission stonewalls its requests, the party will stop participating in its debates.
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“We are especially frustrated with the CPD’s refusal to enact reforms aimed at ensuring nonpartisanship by claiming that doing so would somehow render the organization more partisan,” a letter signed by Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the RNC, said. “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.”
The RNC cited a number of concerns with the CPD. It highlighted the commission’s selection of Steve Scully, who served as an intern to Joe Biden in college, to moderate one of the 2020 presidential debates. It said a majority of the commission’s board members publicly disparaged the Republican presidential nominee. The RNC also criticized the nonprofit organization for hosting the first debate after early voting had already begun.
Republicans demanded a slew of changes in the letter, calling for term limits for the commission’s board of directors, more transparent criteria for selecting debate moderators, and a stronger code of conduct for moderating debates. They also asked the CPD to commit to holding at least one debate before early voting takes place.
RNC officials have been meeting with CPD officials for months prior to Thursday’s announcement. The party has long accused the debate commission of being unfair to its candidates. In 2012, debate moderator Candy Crowley took former President Barack Obama’s side during an exchange about the 2012 Benghazi attack. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, subsequently criticized Crowley for that.
Former President Donald Trump repeatedly accused the debates of being unfair to him during his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns as the Republican nominee. He notably skipped the second debate over objections to its virtual format.
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The CPD was formed in 1987 as a nonpartisan organization to make presidential debates a permanent part of presidential elections. In a statement to the Washington Examiner, the commission avoided commenting on the letter specifically and said its goal is to help voters make decisions in elections.
“The CPD deals directly with candidates for President and Vice President who qualify for participation in the CPD’s general election debates. The CPD’s 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,” the CPD said.
