Debate window is closing fast for RFK Jr.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Libertarian National Convention on May 24 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The window for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to qualify for the first presidential debate on June 27 is closing rapidly.
Why it matters: CNN, which is hosting the first debate, reported Saturday that "though not impossible," it's unlikely that any candidate other than President Biden and former President Trump will qualify.
- That's just what both the Biden and Trump campaigns want: a 1-on-1 showdown.
CNN said Kennedy is officially on the ballot in states that account for just 89 electoral votes, well short of the debate's requirement that participants must be on the ballot in enough states to give them a chance of winning the 270 electoral votes needed to be elected president.
- The network also is requiring candidates to have at least 15% support in four national polls. It said Kennedy has hit that mark in three polls, so is one short.
Driving the news: The presidential debate, which will be moderated by CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash in Atlanta, is the first one in more than three decades that won't be managed by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
- On Saturday, CNN unveiled a set of rules that aim to rein in the interrupting that made that 2020 Biden-Trump debate a chaotic mess.
Zoom in: The 90-minute debate will have two commercial breaks. Campaign staffers won't be allowed to interact with their candidate during those breaks, CNN said.
- A candidate's microphone will be muted when it's not his turn to speak. That could hinder Trump, who tries to rattle opponents with interruptions — though Biden's most memorable line from their 2020 debate was when he responded to Trump's interruptions by saying, "Will you shut up, man?"
- The candidates' podium positions on stage will be determined by a coin flip.
- The moderators "will use all tools at their disposal to enforce timing and ensure a civilized discussion," CNN said.
Between the lines: Kennedy's campaign has launched an aggressive ballot effort to get on states' ballots.
- The deadlines for independent candidates to collect verified signatures and meet other requirements to get on ballots vary from state to state, but most are between now and the first week of September.
As of Friday, Kennedy's campaign claimed to have collected enough signatures for ballot access in states totaling 292 electoral votes.
- But in several of those states the signatures the campaign has submitted still haven't been verified — and it's unclear when they might be.
- Some states don't begin verifying signatures until later in the summer.
Kennedy has railed against Biden and Trump for "colluding" to keep him off the debate stage.
What to watch: Kennedy also will try to qualify for the second presidential debate, scheduled for Sept. 10 on ABC. The network hasn't released its qualifying requirements.
Go deeper: RFK Jr.'s path to the June debate
