RFK Jr. Fails to Qualify for June 27 Presidential Debate
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not meet the requirements for CNN’s (Lean Left bias) June 27 presidential debate by Thursday’s deadline.
The Details: To participate in the debate, candidates had to receive at least 15% support in four national polls meeting CNN’s standards and achieve ballot access in enough states to have a chance at winning the minimum 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency. By Thursday, Kennedy had only received 15% support in three national polls and only got on the ballot in six states — California, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Utah — amounting to 89 electoral votes.
Key Quote: Kennedy accused CNN of illegally conspiring with Trump and Biden, saying his “exclusion” from the debate was “undemocratic, un-American, and cowardly.”
For Context: Kennedy’s absence means the CNN debate will be a one-on-one between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. No independent or third-party candidate has joined the presidential debate stage since Ross Perot in 1992.
How the Media Covered It: Coverage appeared generally similar across the spectrum on Thursday; a Newsmax (Right bias) headline stood out by highlighting that Green Party candidate Jill Stein also failed to meet the debate requirements.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
RFK Jr. fails to qualify for first presidential debate
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not qualify for the first presidential debate set for next week, CNN said Thursday.
Why it matters: Qualifying for the network's debate would have given the independent candidate a national platform to propel his long-shot presidential bid.
The last independent candidate to make the presidential debate stage was Ross Perot in 1992.
Driving the news: To qualify for the June 27 presidential debate, candidates had to hit at least 15% in four national polls that meet CNN's standards, and achieve ballot access in enough states to have a chance at winning 270 electoral votes....
From the Right
Kennedy, Stein Fail to Qualify for CNN Debate
CNN confirmed Thursday that its presidential debate next week will go forward with just Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
The qualification window for the debate closed at midnight Thursday, and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jill Stein of the Green Party failed to qualify. Stein was never close to qualifying and Kennedy fell short of qualifying by the deadline, CNN said.
Kennedy needed 15% support in four approved national polls; he had three. Second, he needed to be on the ballot in enough states to win 270...
From the Center
RFK Jr. lashes out after failure to make CNN debate stage
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday lashed out after CNN announced its June 27 debate would be a head-to-head between President Biden and former President Trump, leaving the independent White House hopeful off the stage.
“Presidents Biden and Trump do not want me on the debate stage and CNN illegally agreed to their demand,” Kennedy alleged in a statement from his campaign. “My exclusion by Presidents Biden and Trump from the debate is undemocratic, un-American, and cowardly.”
Biden and Trump alone officially qualified for next week’s presidential debate, the first of the cycle, CNN announced Thursday....
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