Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to miss participating in the first U.S. presidential debate of 2024, hosted by CNN on June 27, after failing to meet the criteria established by the news organization.
CNN, the debate host, had set a deadline of 12 a.m. ET (0400 GMT) Thursday for candidates to fulfill its participation requirements. These included appearing on enough state ballots to have a viable path to the presidency and achieving at least 15% support in four national polls.
Kennedy, while having garnered at least 15% in three accepted polls, did not meet the threshold in a fourth. Additionally, he qualified for the ballot in only six states, which CNN determined insufficient to win the presidency. Consequently, only President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have met the conditions to take part in the debate.
Kennedy has contested the fairness of CNN’s criteria, suggesting that the standards were designed to exclude him from the debate and favor a one-on-one format between Biden and Trump. His campaign had requested intervention from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to delay the debate unless CNN modified its criteria. However, the FEC declined to comment on the matter.
CNN, a division of Warner Bros Discovery, and Kennedyâs campaign did not provide immediate comments regarding the situation.
The debate’s inclusion criteriaârequiring significant national polling support and state ballot accessâare intended to ensure that participants have a credible chance at winning the presidential election. Kennedy’s inability to meet these benchmarks by the specified deadline has fueled his campaign’s criticism of the process, emphasizing the challenges faced by independent candidates in securing visibility and legitimacy in national elections.
As the debate date approaches, the exclusion of Kennedy highlights the complexities of debate participation standards and the impact on candidates outside the traditional two-party system.
