The debate will feature only Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.
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US Green Party nominee Jill Stein says she is planning to appear at the first presidential debate despite being ignored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Three televised presidential debates, starting with one on September 26 at Hofstra University in NY, will feature the presidential nominees from the Republican and Democratic parties, as has been the case since 1992.
Using the average of five U.S. polls, Clinton scored 43 per cent, Trump 40.4 per cent, Johnson 8.4 per cent and Stein 3.2 per cent, the commission said.
Yet the “bipartisan” presidential debate commission refuses to include all candidates who have a mathematical chance to win 270 electoral votes.
“And today we also know that the only other option on every American voter’s ballot will be myself and Gov. [Bill] Weld”, he said.
Johnson had previously said that his campaign would be doomed if he couldn’t get exposure in what is expected to be one of the most watched debates in history.
Johnson said he wasn’t surprised by the decision to “exclude” him from the first debate.
No third party candidate has qualified to participate in a national debate since the 1992 election season when businessman Ross Perot debated with George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Conservative third-party candidate Evan McMullin has not yet been included in a nation-wide poll, despite his likely inclusion on around 40 state ballots.
Stein told WBAL NewsRadio 1090 that she believes the debate system is rigged to favor the major political parties and she called on her supporters to protest. He and Stein could still qualify for the two remaining ones in October if their poll numbers hit 15 percent, but that will be challenging without the national exposure of the debate.
The failure to be invited to the September 26 debate at Hofstra University deals a significant blow to Johnson and Stein, who are desperate for national exposure to promote their long-shot bids for the White House.
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NBC’s Lester Holt will moderate the first debate on September 26.
