RNC to Require GOP Presidential Candidates to Sign Debate Pledge
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Party has long complained about the Commission on Presidential Debates handling of general election debates
The Republican National Committee voted Thursday to require GOP presidential candidates to attest in writing that they will only appear at party-sanctioned primary and general election debates.
The move is the latest escalation in a disagreement between the RNC and the Commission on Presidential Debates following grievances leveled by former President Donald Trump and other Republicans about fairness in moderator selections, changes to formats and other conditions.
The resolution passed by the committee gathered in Tennessee reads, in part: “Any presidential primary candidate who does not agree in writing, or who participates in any debate that is not a sanctioned debate, shall not be eligible to participate in any further sanctioned debates.”
The RNC plans to form a working group to sanction debates
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