RFK Jr. fails to qualify for CNN debate, setting up showdown between Biden and Trump
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to qualify for the first presidential debate hosted by CNN, leaving Joe Biden and Donald Trump as the two candidates on stage.
Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to qualify for the first presidential debate hosted by CNN next week, officially setting up a one-on-one clash between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
CNN published an article Thursday morning that said the network’s window for candidates to meet the criteria for the June 27 debate in Atlanta closed just after midnight Eastern Time, “with Biden and Trump meeting the constitutional, ballot qualification and polling thresholds.” A CNN spokesperson confirmed that Kennedy did not qualify.
Kennedy hadn’t hit CNN’s polling threshold of 15% in at least four approved national polls, having only reached that mark in three surveys ahead of the deadline. He also fell short of the network’s ballot criteria, which required candidates to secure access in enough states to win 270 electoral votes, a significant task for a third-party at this point in the election cycle.
According to an NBC News analysis, Kennedy is currently on the ballot in 10 states, but is held up in verification status or application windows in a handful of others.
Kennedy’s absence from the stage next week will be a blow to his long-shot campaign as he seeks to gain ground on the presumptive major party nominees.
Rating: 5