Larry Elder Plans to SUE the RNC Because They Rejected Trump-Friendly Rasmussen Poll to Block Him From Debate

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

The first Republican presidential primary debate takes place on Wednesday, but several GOP candidates did not have the numbers to take the stage. Now, one of the castoffs — Larry Elder — says he wants to sue the Republican National Committee for turning down what he says are qualifying polls.

Candidates need to meet certain criteria before being allowed to debate, including exceeding 40,000 individual donors, 200 donors in 20 states, signing a loyalty pledge to support the GOP nominee in the general election (which the GOP frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, has refused to sign), and topping one percent in certain polls. While Elder claims to have met that criteria and presented the RNC his proof, the polling data he used came from Rasmussen, which was not accepted by the RNC. And now, Elder is claiming that “establishment leaders” are “afraid” of letting him be heard, so he intends to sue the RNC to “halt” the first GOP debate:

Elder called the system “rigged,” which sounds familiar because it’s a word that Trump uses repeatedly to describe the voting system he allegedly attempted to manipulate in his favor to the tune of two criminal indictments on the federal and state levels. Those 2020 election fraud conspiracy theories were pushed by former employees of Fox News, which is hosting the debate that Trump has refused to attend.

Another media outlet that supported those election fraud claims: Rasmussen. The Trump-friendly pollster became a favorite among the MAGA crowd and the politicians who saw one set of polls yield them favorable numbers, like Kari Lake. But it’s that seeming slant that has left the once-reputable, although generally right-leaning poll in the “unreliable” column. And if that’s the only poll that put Elder over one percent, the RNC might not be the only one suspicious about it.