ABC News Announces Qualification Criteria for New Hampshire Primary Debate

ABC News has revealed the criteria for Republican presidential candidates to qualify for the upcoming New Hampshire primary debate in January. To secure a spot on stage, candidates must either finish in the top three in the Iowa caucuses or receive at least 10% support in two separate national polls of Republican primary voters or two separate New Hampshire polls that meet ABC’s reporting standards.

Qualification Requirements

To be eligible for the debate, polling data collected from surveys conducted between November 27 and released no later than noon on January 16 will be considered. Poll results with decimal places will not be rounded up or down. The following entities’ polls will be deemed eligible for debate qualification purposes:

• ABC News/Washington Post
• ABC News/Ipsos
• CBS News/YouGov
• CNN
• Emerson College/WHDH
• Fox News
• Fox Business News
• Marist College
• Marquette University Law School
• Monmouth University
• Monmouth University/The Washington Post
• NBC News
• The New York Times/Siena College
• Quinnipiac University
• University of New Hampshire/CNN
• Saint Anselm College
• Suffolk University/Boston Globe/USA TODAY
• The Wall Street Journal

Debate Details

The debate, scheduled for January 18 at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, will take place just five days before the state’s Republican primary and three days after the Iowa caucuses. The results from these two states will provide the first indication of voter preferences in selecting the GOP’s 2024 nominee.

Former President Donald Trump is currently leading in the polls, despite facing controversies and legal issues. He has chosen not to participate in any debates, citing his popularity as the reason. However, his absence has been criticized by rivals like Ron DeSantis.

As of now, Trump, Florida Governor DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie would qualify for the New Hampshire primary debate. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson have not yet reached the 10% threshold in qualifying polls and would need to either secure two national or two state surveys to meet the criteria. Alternatively, Ramaswamy and Hutchinson could finish in the top three in Iowa to qualify.

With the debate playing a crucial role in shaping the Republican nomination race, candidates will be vying to meet the qualification criteria and make their case to voters.

538’s Geoffrey Skelley contributed to this report.