CNN and Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library Announce Groundbreaking Format for Republican Presidential Primary Debate

SIMI VALLEY, CA--(Marketwired - May 20, 2015) - CNN and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library announced today a groundbreaking debate format that will provide voters an opportunity to hear from all of the leading candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination. The debate, sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, will provide qualified GOP presidential candidates ample time to respond to questions about how they would govern as the next commander-in-chief.

The September 16, 2015 primetime event will be divided into two parts featuring two groups of candidates debating the pressing issues facing the nation. One grouping will feature the top 10 candidates, according to public polling. The other grouping will include candidates who meet the minimum threshold of one percent in public polling, but are not ranked in the top 10. All of the candidates will be required to meet additional criteria to receive an invitation to this debate. Full criteria may be found here: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2015/images/05/20/debate.criteria1.pdf.

The debate will take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California and air live on CNN, CNN International, and CNN Español. The Salem Radio Network will serve as the exclusive radio broadcaster of the debate.

ABOUT THE REAGAN FOUNDATION:
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the promotion of the legacy of Ronald Reagan and his timeless principles of individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride. It sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning Center and The Air Force One Pavilion. Located in Simi Valley, California the Library houses 63 million pages of Gubernatorial, Presidential and personal papers and over 60,000 gifts and artifacts chronicling the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It now also serves as the final resting place of America's 40th President. www.reaganfoundation.org

ABOUT CNN:
CNN Worldwide is a portfolio of two dozen news and information services across cable, satellite, radio, wireless devices and the Internet in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Domestically, CNN reaches more individuals on television, the web and mobile devices than any other cable TV news organization in the United States; internationally, CNN is the most widely distributed news channel reaching more than 271 million households abroad; and CNN Digital is a top network for online news, mobile news and social media. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world's most extensively utilized news service partnering with hundreds of local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

CNN:
Lauren Pratapas
212-515-2912
[e-mail]

Reagan Foundation:
Melissa Giller
805-522-2977
[e-mail]