(NewsSpace.com) – So far, the GOP has held four primary debates, giving each of the qualifying candidates an opportunity to showcase their platform and beliefs to the country in hopes of becoming the next presidential nominee. The candidates must hit certain milestones in order to participate in those events. Many have failed to qualify and have even dropped out due to poor polling numbers. Now, there are four main contenders remaining, but circumstances may prevent the fifth GOP debate from taking place.
The fifth Republican Party primary debate is scheduled to take place on January 10 and is set to be hosted by CNN. However, two of the candidates—Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie—may not reach the benchmarks to qualify. In order to participate, candidates must have 10% or higher in three Iowa or three national polls, one of which must include Iowa. Ramaswamy has yet to exceed the 5% mark, and Christie isn’t faring any better. That would disqualify them for the stage, leaving only Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former US Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former President Donald Trump.
DeSantis is the only one who has confirmed his appearance, while Haley has not committed to doing so yet. Trump has not participated in any of the debates. That could potentially put the debate on the chopping block.
It seems DeSantis is trying to goad Haley into appearing. According to Fox News, his campaign took a recent swipe at her after her recent loss, saying, “It is no wonder why Haley has failed to confirm she will join Ron DeSantis on the debate stage.” Olivia Perez-Cubas, a spokeswoman for Haley, said that the former ambassador will be “debating in Iowa.” It’s just not clear if she meant the CNN debate or other commitments.
Haley, for her part, is trying to get former President Donald Trump on stage, saying he’s “fighting for Iowans’ votes” and that he has to “do the groundwork.”
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