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Republicans Slash Presidential Debate Schedule For 2016

(L-R) Rick Santorum, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney; Texas congressman Ron Paul; former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty; entrepreneur Herman Cain address the first 2012 Republican presidential candidates' debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, June 13, 2011.
Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

January 16, 2015, 7:30 PM

CORONADO, Calif. -- After suffering some 2012 debate fatigue when Republican candidates met to discuss issues more than two dozen times, the Republican National Committee announced today it would be restricting the number of debates in the 2016 election cycle to a total of just 12.

The RNC confirmed at its winter meeting in San Diego that there will definitely be nine debates, with the possibility for three more being added.

The first debate will occur in August 2015 in Ohio. It’s very likely it will be hosted in Cleveland, also the host city of the Republican National Convention this cycle.

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Each debate will be hosted by a TV news network in partnership with a conservative media panelist.

“Our goal has always been to have an element of conservatives,” in each debate, RNC spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters.

Here is the current schedule of debates:

Fox News -- August 2015, Ohio

CNN -- September 2015, California

CNBC -- October 2015, Colorado

Fox Business -- November 2015, Wisconsin

CNN -- December 2016, Nevada

Fox News -- January 2016, Iowa

ABC News -- February 2016, New Hampshire