The Republican National Committee (RNC) confirms that a GOP debate in the works for Jan. 16 hosted by Liberty University and sponsored by the Washington Times fell through in the planning stages, according to RNC chief strategist and communications director Sean Spicer. The move comes after more than a year of talks between the university and Spicer over hosting a debate. Liberty University is a frequent stop for Republican politicians, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who launched his 2016 campaign at the Lynchburg, Va., campus, and Ben Carson and others. (On the other side, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tried to reach ideological middle ground with the mostly conservative audience at the university).<\/p>\n
The RNC\u2019s debate schedule page makes reference to efforts by the group to \u201cpartner with conservative media to make sure the concerns of grassroots Republicans are addressed.\u201d The Liberty University-Washington Times event was an effort to fill that part of the schedule.<\/p>\n