New Hampshire Republican primary debate canceled due to lack of participants

Sheri Walsh
·3 min read
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Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley campaigns during a caucus night watch party in West Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday before placing third behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, who won with 51% of the vote. Both Haley and Trump failed to respond by the deadline to participate in Thursday's Republican primary debate in New Hampshire, forcing ABC News to cancel it. Photo by Alex Wroblewski/UPI
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Jan. 16 (UPI) -- The Republican presidential primary debate scheduled for Thursday in New Hampshire has been called off due to a lack of candidate participation, ABC News announced Tuesday.

"Our intent was to host a debate coming out of the Iowa caucuses, but we always knew that would be contingent on the candidates and the outcome of the race," an ABC News spokesperson said in a statement.

"As a result, while our robust election coverage will continue, ABC News and WMUR-TV will not be moving forward with Thursday's Republican presidential primary debate in New Hampshire."

New Hampshire's primary is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Neither former President Donald Trump nor former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley responded by Tuesday's deadline to participate, after Haley suggested -- following her third place finish in Monday's Iowa caucuses -- that she would skip the debate with rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had already committed.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis arrives to speak to supporters at the Never Back Down Iowa headquarters in West Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday. DeSantis blasted Haley's decision to skip the debate, saying "she doesn't want to answer the tough questions." Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis arrives to speak to supporters at the Never Back Down Iowa headquarters in West Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday. DeSantis blasted Haley's decision to skip the debate, saying "she doesn't want to answer the tough questions." Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"We've had five great debates in this campaign," Haley wrote Tuesday in a post on X. "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. I look forward to it."

DeSantis blasted Haley's decision to bow out of the debate in a post on X, saying Haley is "afraid to debate because she doesn't want to answer the tough questions."

Former President Donald Trump celebrates his win in the 2024 Iowa Caucus at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa on Monday. Next up in the race for the White House will be Saturday's New Hampshire primary. Trump has stated he will not participate in any Republican primary debates, citing his large lead in the polls. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI
Former President Donald Trump celebrates his win in the 2024 Iowa Caucus at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa on Monday. Next up in the race for the White House will be Saturday's New Hampshire primary. Trump has stated he will not participate in any Republican primary debates, citing his large lead in the polls. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"The reality is that she is not running for the nomination, she's running to be Trump's VP," DeSantis wrote Tuesday.

Haley and DeSantis sparred over facts, as the only two Republican participants, in last week's debate leading up to the Iowa caucus.

While Haley received 19% of the vote in Iowa, behind DeSantis who had 21%, Trump won with a resounding 51%. Trump has not participated in any of the Republican primary debates, citing his large lead in the polls.

"President Trump's statement was that he would not attend the debates," adviser Chris LaCivita said in September.

"Plural ... And that's his position until it's not."