Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, conservative radio personality Larry Elder and Michigan businessman Perry Johnson did not qualify for the first debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin —and now they’re calling the process “corrupt and rigged.”
“The corrupt and rigged RNC debate process has been a trainwreck from the beginning,” Johnson said in a statement. “It is clear that from the beginning, the RNC knew who they wanted on the stage and who they wanted to ban from the stage. Simply put, this is a flawed decision of a poorly run process of a corrupt organization. This morning, I am working with my team to take legal action against the RNC.”
“I intend to sue the RNC to halt Wednesday’s presidential debate,” Elder wrote in a tweet. “I said from the beginning that it appeared the rules of the game were rigged, little did we know just how rigged it is. For some reason, the establishment leaders at the RNC are afraid of having my voice on the debate stage. Just as I had to fight to successfully be on the ballot in the California recall election, I will fight to be on that debate stage because I fully met all of the requirements to do so.”
Elder also released a video on X:
#WeveGotACountryToSave pic.twitter.com/opxe1OE05t
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 22, 2023
From The Daily Caller:
Both candidates argue they satisfied the RNC’s criteria to make the first debate stage by surpassing the 40,000 unique donor threshold and meeting the requisite polling benchmarks, according to Elder and Johnson’s respective campaigns.
The candidates must have polled either at 1% or above in three national polls, or 1% in two national polls and in two key early primary state polls. The surveys had to be recognized by the RNC by polling at least 800 likely GOP voters, being conducted on or after July 1, and not having been affiliated with any Republican primary candidate.
The RNC informed Elder that one of the polls he submitted did not qualify, as it has ties with former President Donald Trump, according to the radio host’s campaign. Johnson also argued that the RNC “wrongfully excluded qualifying polls” when assessing whether he would take the debate stage, according to a press release.
More over at The Daily Caller:
‘Corrupt And Rigged’: GOP Presidential Longshots Threaten ‘Legal Action’ Against RNC For Excluding Them From Debate
Via @DailyCaller https://t.co/mwIrfJuDJV— Mary Lou Masters (@MaryLouMasters) August 22, 2023