“Not in Iowa. They tend to punish candidates that skip a debate.”
When has it ever happened?
“When has it ever happened?”
Reagan the presumptive leader skipped an Iowa debate and lost Iowa to Bush.
https://books.google.com/books?id=aaueBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=reagan+skipped+iowa+debate&source=bl&ots=KrlE0GQzbS&sig=8Rv92QlEiHVSh8Qhr0Nmln66R7E&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj4ip2DkcrKAhWDtYMKHQ_UAaIQ6AEIQDAH#v=onepage&q=reagan%20skipped%20iowa%20debate&f=false