CNN said it is canceling its March 1 Republican presidential debate in Georgia after three of the four candidates announced that they’d be no-shows.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced Thursday that he was skipping the pre-Super Tuesday debate, saying that he has already done nearly 20 debates and was too busy campaigning ahead of the March 6 multistate primary to make the Georgia event.
Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania both announced soon after Romney that they, too, were skipping the Georgia debate.
That left only former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a onetime Georgia congressman, so CNN canceled the event.
“Without full participation of all four candidates, CNN will not move forward with the Super Tuesday debate,” the network said in a statement on its website.
The candidates will participate in what will be their 20th debate in Arizona on Feb. 22. That debate is also sponsored by CNN.
