Vivek Ramaswamy, an Indian-American presidential candidate, has called on the Republican National Committee (RNC) to revise the rules for the third Republican primary debate in November. Ramaswamy's campaign has urged the RNC to limit participation in the debate to the top four candidates in national polling, excluding former President Donald Trump. The request was conveyed in a letter from Ben Yoho, the CEO of Ramaswamy's campaign.
The second Republican debate, held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, featured Ramaswamy alongside six other candidates, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is of Indian-American descent.
In the letter to the RNC, Yoho emphasized the need to avoid another "unhelpful debate" and argued that voters are not well-served when numerous candidates with minimal chances of success talk over each other, while the leading frontrunner is absent from the center stage. The proposed change would allow the top four candidates in national polling to participate, in addition to Donald Trump.
While Ramaswamy, Trump, DeSantis, and Haley are said to meet the qualifications for the third debate stage, Trump has indicated that he will not attend. The former president currently holds the frontrunner position in the race.
In addition to advocating for limiting participation, Yoho's letter requested more time for candidates to respond to one another and called for a single debate moderator capable of enforcing rules to prevent candidates from speaking over each other. The CEO also proposed raising the donor threshold to 100,000 unique donors, an increase from the RNC's current limit of 70,000 donors.
Campaigns cannot compel the RNC to modify debate rules but can lobby for changes. Yoho's letter also criticized an upcoming summit involving GOP mega-donors and campaign representatives of DeSantis and Haley, characterizing it as an attempt by billionaires to coordinate and consolidate donor support against President Trump. The letter emphasized the importance of the party's voters, rather than mega-donors, in vetting presidential candidates and determining the nominee.
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