The Republican Party, on Thursday, in a letter cited to the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), demanded that rules for the debates be changed. the Republicans, in the letter, have claimed that the rules of the debates are biased against it.
The commission was set up in 1987, as a non-partisan body “to ensure, for the benefit of the American electorate, that general election debates between or among the leading candidates for the offices of president and vice-president … are a permanent part of the electoral process,” a Guardian report reads.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) threatened to boycott the debates unless the rules were changed. In a letter to the CPD on Thursday, RNC chair Ronna McDaniel accused the commission of "stonewalling the meaningful reforms necessary to restore its credibility with the Republican Party as a fair and nonpartisan actor," an AFP report reads.
"Accordingly, 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," adding that if the rules aren’t changed, the Republican Party will take steps to ensure that Republican candidates are given the chance to debate elsewhere. The letter stated that the first debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was held after early voting had begun. Trump remains quite likely to be the Republican nominee for 2024.
"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 told the New York Times.
