Kennedy Jr. must meet the criteria of at least 15 percent in four national polls and be on enough state ballots to secure 270 Electoral College votes to participate in the June 27 presidential debate according to CNN’s rules. President Biden’s participation in the debate remains uncertain. Both Democrat and Republican nominees have agreed to appear in the June 27 debate on CNN and the Sept. 10 debate on ABC. Mr. Kennedy’s press secretary confirmed that he would accept an invitation to participate if he qualifies. The Commission on Presidential Debates has overseen all presidential forums since 1988. President Biden and President Trump’s campaigns initially expressed concern about Mr. Kennedy joining the debate, but President Trump later stated he is open to it if he meets the qualifications. CNN has confirmed that only President Biden and President Trump have qualified for its debate so far. The window for determining eligibility for the June 27 debate closes on June 20. The Debate Commission also has three forums scheduled for September and October. Upon learning that President Biden plans to participate in the CNN and ABC News debates instead of the Commission’s forums, Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., co-chair of the Debate Commission, expressed interest in the coordination details for the June 27 debate. Presidential debates have a long history, starting from the first televised debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960. Fahrenkopf stated that President Johnson and President Nixon cited the Federal Communications Commission’s equal-time guidelines for skipping the debates. The rule would have required all third-party candidates to share the stage with them. President Ford, despite poor approval ratings, chose to debate Democrat presidential nominee Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 1980, President Carter refused to debate former Illinois Congressman John Anderson, who had polled at 17 percent and qualified for the forum. Ronald Reagan, the Republican nominee, did debate Mr. Anderson, and President Carter eventually agreed to debate Mr. Reagan when Mr. Anderson’s poll numbers slipped to 12 percent. The League of Women Voters organized presidential debates from 1976 to 1984, after which the Debate Commission, a nonpartisan organization formed by Mr. Fahrenkopf and Paul Kirk in 1988, took over. The Debate Commission’s rules mandate that independent candidates must have enough ballot access to secure 270 Electoral College votes and maintain at least 15 percent support in polls. Ross Perot, the Reform Party nominee, was the last third-party candidate to participate in all three presidential debates in 1992, despite only polling at 7 percent. The Debate Commission established its current rules in 2000, which require candidates to meet the 15 percent polling threshold. In response to criticisms from the Biden and Trump campaigns about the debate schedule, the Debate Commission explained that the dates were chosen after a thorough study of early voting rules in each state. Mr. Kennedy, a presidential candidate, has stated that he will meet the Debate Commission’s qualification guidelines if the debates are held. Kennedy has issued challenges to both President Biden and President Trump for debates on multiple occasions. On May 15, he expressed disappointment at not being included in a post on X platform. Kennedy believes that Presidents Trump and Biden are conspiring to limit the debate to just the two of them, despite 70 percent of Americans expressing a desire for more options. He accuses them of excluding him because they fear he would win.
Kennedy argues that keeping viable candidates off the debate stage goes against democratic principles, especially considering that 43 percent of Americans identify as independents. He believes that now is the time to break free from the two-party system and that the current candidates are the most unpopular in recent history.
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