The Republican National Committee struck a deal with CNBC to limit the debate to two hours plus commercials and to include both opening and closing statements, conceding to GOP front-runners Donald Trump and Ben Carson’s demands.
RNC spokesman Sean Spicer called the campaigns Friday to get agreement on the terms. Instead of a closing statement, the candidates will be asked an open-ended question, but they can use that time to refer back to their talking points without the threat of being interrupted.
Mr. Trump tweeted Friday morning that CNBC had agreed to limit the Oct. 28 debate in Colorado to two hours.
“Fantastic news for all, especially the millions of people who will be watching!” Mr. Trump tweeted.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump and Mr. Carson wrote a letter to the network asking them to limit the time and grant opening and closing statements to the candidates.
• Kelly Riddell can be reached at kriddell@washingtontimes.com.
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