In a move that could drastically change the way the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election plays out, The Republican National Committee has announced that it will no longer be organizing or subsidizing Presidential debates for its candidates. Instead, each presidential candidate will now be responsible for organizing their own debate or debates, and will be able to choose their own moderators, locations, and topics.
The RNC made the announcement after the Democratic National Committee made several moves to become more restrictive in how their presidential debates are structured. The DNC limited the number of debates to just 12, and prevented candidates from having a say in who the moderators would be.
This change will allow Republican candidates to openly debate one another on topics that the general public might be interested in. For example, it could lead to debates focussed on certain key policy positions, or on the economy, foreign policy, or immigration, allowing for a more in-depth examination of the positions of each candidate.
When asked about the move, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said “The Republican party is committed to open debate and open exchanges of ideas, particularly when it comes to the office of the President. We feel that our candidates should have the freedom to choose the parameters of their debates, allowing both them and the public to have the most meaningful and well-informed conversations possible.”
Democrats have also benefitted from the RNC’s move, as all eight of their debates are now considered to be official DNC debates. Republican candidates now have the freedom and ability to stage additional debates outside of the DNC’s parameters, allowing for the possibility of a more equitable debate process than what the DNC had previously instituted.
The Republican party’s move will likely be met with mixed reactions: some Presidential candidate hopefuls may take advantage of the newfound freedom, while others may not have the necessary resources to organize a debate or debates of their own. However, overall, the party’s move to free up the debate process should be seen as a positive step towards an open and democratic election process.