GOP debates open in Ohio in August

Ohio was chosen yesterday to host the first GOP presidential debate in August.

“Huge honor to be the host,” Ohio Republican Chairman Matt Borges said by email from the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in San Diego.

“We will make sure our party shines and do it working hand in hand with the RNC. Looking forward to the big challenges ahead.”

While an exact location for the Ohio matchup was not announced, The Washington Post reported earlier this week that GOP leaders might want the first debate to coincide with an RNC meeting in the Buckeye State. Cleveland is hosting the Republican Na-

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tional Convention on July 18-21 next year.

The state’s bid to host the debate might have gotten a boost earlier yesterday morning with the selection of Borges to the RNC’s debate committee. The late Robert T. Bennett, longtime Ohio Republican chairman, held the same post.

New rules for the debates were set at the San Diego gathering. Many Republican leaders say their presidential candidates were subjected to too many intraparty debates before the 2012 election, and they started too early.

“We do have to make sure our process is sound and our debates are informative — and not a field day for the media,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus after winning another term yesterday.

Along with limiting the number of debates, the RNC’s goal was to spread the debates across the country by sanctioning no more than one per state, hold them over a period of seven months and include a larger conservative media presence.

“The 2016 cycle is underway, and I can tell you it will be a landmark election for Republicans,” Priebus said in a release.

“By constructing and instituting a sound debate process, it will allow candidates to bring their ideas and vision to Americans in a timely and efficient way. This schedule ensures we will have a robust discussion among our candidates while also allowing the candidates to focus their time engaging with Republican voters.”

Under the new rules, any candidate who participates in a nonsanctioned debate will not be allowed to participate in any more sanctioned debates.