The field of candidates seeking the Republican nomination for president continues to shrink ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
After a series of Republican primary debates that saw a shrinking field of candidates, several debates have been canceled.
What Happened: Republican front-runner and former President Donald Trump has skipped the past five Republican primary debates.
Trump has often scheduled counter-programming efforts with pre-recorded interviews, speeches and town halls to air at the same time as televised GOP debates.
The fifth Republican primary debate saw its smallest field on stage yet with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley the only two candidates taking part.
Haley recently said she will no longer take part in debates unless Trump is present.
"We've had five great debates in this campaign. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has ducked all of them. He has nowhere left to hide. The next debate I do will either be with Donald Trump or with Joe Biden," Haley tweeted.
As a result, media companies that were set to air the next two Republican primary debates have decided to skip their planned events.
ABC News, which is a unit of The Walt Disney Company DIS, will no longer host a planned sixth debate on Jan. 18.
CNN, which is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery WBD, will no longer host a planned seventh debate on Jan. 21 at New England College.
"We will continue to pursue other opportunities as the campaign season progresses through 2024," a CNN spokesperson told The Washington Post.
DeSantis, who along with Haley has participated in all five primary debates, said Haley was "afraid to participate in the remaining debates."
"I won't snub New Hampshire voters like both Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, and plan to honor my commitments. I look forward to debating two empty podiums in the Granite State this week," DeSantis said.
Related Link: Trump Leads Haley By 29 Points In Her Home State, Could That Be The Primary To Stop Her Momentum?
Why It's Important: Without Trump's participation in the primary debates, ratings have come in below previous presidential election years. The viewership has also declined for each new debate.
Here's a look at the results:
- First Debate: 12.8 million viewers, aired on Fox News, a unit of Fox Corporation FOXFOXA
- Second Debate: 9.5 million viewers, aired on Fox Business
- Third Debate: 7.5 million viewers, aired on NBC News, a unit of Comcast Corporation CMCSA
- Fourth Debate: 4.1 million viewers, aired on NewsNation, a unit of Nexstar Media Group NXST
- Fifth Debate: 2.6 million viewers, aired on CNN
Trump's Town Hall, which aired on Fox News opposite the fifth debate, reportedly had 4.4 million viewers. That’s more viewers than the DeSantis/Haley head-to-head battle.
Trump won the Iowa Republican caucus Monday night. The victory gives him an early lead for the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump won the state of Iowa with 51% of the vote, earning 20 delegates in the Republican primary race. Ron DeSantis ranked second with 21.2% of the vote, earning nine delegates. Nikki Haley ranked third with 19.1% of the vote and eight delegates.
Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy announced he was dropping out of the race after the Iowa caucus and a fourth-place finish. The biotech entrepreneur pledged his support to Trump in the race. Republican candidate Asa Hutchinson also dropped out of the race earlier in the week.
With no scheduled debates, DeSantis and Haley have turned their attention to the states of New Hampshire and South Carolina — two early-voting states in the primary.
New Hampshire hosts its Republican primary on Jan. 23.
A recent poll from CNN shows Trump with a narrow seven-point lead in the state with 39% of the support compared to Haley's 32%. An Emerson College poll showed Trump with a 16-point lead, getting 44% of support to Haley's 28%.
DeSantis ranks a distant third or worse in the New Hampshire polls.
With the inclusion of Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy in most New Hampshire polls, who have since dropped out, the state could be hard to predict ahead of next week's vote.
Image: Shutterstock
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