Robert F. Kennedy says Biden and Trump are campaigning to keep him out of Atlanta debate – WSB-TV Channel 2

Under debate commission rules, Kennedy or other third-party candidates could qualify if they gain enough ballot access to claim 270 electoral votes and if they score 15 percent or more in a selection of national surveys.

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CNN and ABC announced the same qualifying threshold, saying candidates will need to reach at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters to meet their standards.

In a social media post, Kennedy said that “Trump and Biden are colluding to lock America into a face-off that 70% say they don’t want.” They are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I will win. Keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy.”

Biden’s campaign had proposed excluding third-party candidates from the debates altogether.

The debates will be the first televised general election games to be hosted by individual networks.

Hours after blasting both campaigns, Kennedy said he would “meet the criteria to participate in the @CNN debate before the June 20 deadline.” I look forward to holding Presidents Biden and Trump accountable for their results in Atlanta on June 27 to give Americans the debate they deserve. »

There are still several things to be worked out in the debate, “including the specific rules that will be used since the commission won’t set them and whether third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should participate (CNN’s rules include that he must reach 15% in the polls, a figure he has not reached)”, CNN reported Wednesday.

The Debates Commission said in a statement Wednesday: “The American public deserves substantive debates from the leading presidential and vice-presidential candidates. He said his mission is to “ensure that such debates take place reliably and reach the widest television, radio and streaming audiences.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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