Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate, is running out of time to get into the June 27 presidential debate. His last remaining chance may be a complaint he filed with the U.S. agency in charge of election policy, with less than twenty-four hours to go before the qualifying deadline.
Donald Trump, the Republican opponent of President Biden, and Biden will debate on CNN. Candidates must qualify by Wednesday at midnight. The Juneteenth holiday will cause government operations to essentially stop, which will further complicate matters.
Late in May, Mr. Kennedy filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, claiming that the CNN debate format amounted to an unlawful donation to Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden's campaigns.
Mr. Kennedy claims that CNN set "different criteria" in order for him to take part. The complaint asks the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to intervene by Thursday in order to stop the discussion from going forward unless it conforms with the Federal Election Campaign Act.
This is not the normal circumstance. News companies such as CNN and ABC have seldom had complete control over the terms and circumstances of debates between the front-runners since the first broadcast presidential debates in 1960. The Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan body, has traditionally presided over these discussions.
For contestants to be eligible for the debate, CNN has established some requirements. In order to earn 270 electoral votes, they must appear on enough state ballots and get at least 15% of the vote in four nationwide surveys. CNN said that while it is "not impossible" for Mr. Kennedy to be eligible, he has not yet fulfilled all the requirements.
The independent candidate has secured ballot access in six states and is now eligible for 89 electoral votes after meeting the 15% polling threshold in three qualifying surveys. Mr. Kennedy, the candidate, has expanded his campaign to nine states, positioning him to win 144 electoral votes. Additionally, the campaign has confirmed that he has gathered sufficient signatures to appear on the ballot in 14 other states, which would add 166 more electoral votes to his tally. Nonetheless, The Washington Post's report on Wednesday cast doubt on Mr. Kennedy's eligibility for the debate, pointing out discrepancies in his claimed ballot access across various states.
Donald Trump, the Republican opponent of President Biden, and Biden will debate on CNN. Candidates must qualify by Wednesday at midnight. The Juneteenth holiday will cause government operations to essentially stop, which will further complicate matters.
Late in May, Mr. Kennedy filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, claiming that the CNN debate format amounted to an unlawful donation to Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden's campaigns.
Mr. Kennedy claims that CNN set "different criteria" in order for him to take part. The complaint asks the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to intervene by Thursday in order to stop the discussion from going forward unless it conforms with the Federal Election Campaign Act.
This is not the normal circumstance. News companies such as CNN and ABC have seldom had complete control over the terms and circumstances of debates between the front-runners since the first broadcast presidential debates in 1960. The Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan body, has traditionally presided over these discussions.
For contestants to be eligible for the debate, CNN has established some requirements. In order to earn 270 electoral votes, they must appear on enough state ballots and get at least 15% of the vote in four nationwide surveys. CNN said that while it is "not impossible" for Mr. Kennedy to be eligible, he has not yet fulfilled all the requirements.
The independent candidate has secured ballot access in six states and is now eligible for 89 electoral votes after meeting the 15% polling threshold in three qualifying surveys. Mr. Kennedy, the candidate, has expanded his campaign to nine states, positioning him to win 144 electoral votes. Additionally, the campaign has confirmed that he has gathered sufficient signatures to appear on the ballot in 14 other states, which would add 166 more electoral votes to his tally. Nonetheless, The Washington Post's report on Wednesday cast doubt on Mr. Kennedy's eligibility for the debate, pointing out discrepancies in his claimed ballot access across various states.
