Elder, Johnson planning to sue RNC after failing to make first primary debate

Republican presidential candidates Perry Johnson and Larry Elder announced Tuesday they are suing the Republican National Committee (RNC) for not allowing them on the stage at the upcoming primary debate.

“I said from the beginning that it appeared the rules of the game were rigged, little did we know just how rigged it is,” Elder posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “For some reason, the establishment leaders at the RNC are afraid of having my voice on the debate stage.”

Elder, who previously staged a failed run for California governor in a recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in 2021, said he met all the requirements set by the RNC to participate in Wednesday’s debate in Milwaukee, yet it informed him he was not eligible to participate. He said the committee only informed him after sending in his qualification package for the debate that polls from a specific polling company he used in it weren’t valid.

Johnson, a businessman from Michigan, also claimed to have met every requirement for the debate, yet the RNC rejected him. In a statement obtained by independent journalist Ben Jacobs, he said the RNC had preconceived ideas about who they wanted on stage.

“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,” Johnson said. “Simply put, this is a flawed decision of a poorly run process of a corrupt organization.”

“The reason, as stated by the RNC, is that Rasmussen Polls have ties to former President Donald Trump — an individual who is not even participating in the upcoming debate,” Elder’s campaign said in a statement attached to his post. “Larry Elder has no knowledge about whether Donald Trump has ever worked with Rasmussen previously.”