Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to qualify for the first CNN-hosted presidential debate next week, officially setting up a one-on-one matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
CNN published an article on Thursday morning which said the network’s window for candidates to meet criteria for the June 27 debate in Atlanta closed just after midnight Eastern time, “with Biden and Trump meeting constitutional, electoral eligibility and voting thresholds ”. A CNN spokesperson confirmed that Kennedy did not qualify.
Kennedy did not meet CNN’s 15% polling threshold in at least four approved national polls, having only reached that mark in three polls before the deadline. It also fell short of the network’s electoral 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 the verification status or registration windows in a few others.
Kennedy’s absence from the stage next week will be a blow to his remote campaign as he seeks to gain ground on potential major party candidates.
Last month, the Kennedy campaign presented a Federal Election Commission Complaint against CNN and the Biden and Trump campaigns, alleging that the way they organized the June 27 presidential debate was illegal. Stefanie Spear, the campaign’s press secretary, said she is “considering” further legal action before debate night.
“President Trump has said repeatedly that he had no problem debating RFK Jr. and believes that any candidate who qualifies for the ballot should be allowed to present their case to America’s voters,” said the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, in a statement Thursday. Joe Biden and the Democrats who are using financial and legal resources to block RFK from voting because they know RFK Jr. is a radical leftist who gets more votes for Biden than President Trump.”
Kennedy has already used the prospect of his omission from the stage to argue that the election is rigged against political outsiders, with his campaign booking $100,000 in television ads on debate day.
Kennedy still has a chance to qualify for the September 10 debate, hosted by ABC News. This debate has the same access and voting criteria as CNN’s, although it is not clear when the voting window will open. It will also give Kennedy more time to secure access to more ballots across the country.
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