[1/2] Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus speaks to the audience before the start of the Republican U.S. presidential candidates debate sponsored by CNN at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida, March 10, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo AllegriWASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - The Republican National Committee on Friday announced relatively stringent limits on who can participate in the first 2024 presidential primary debate, posing a potential challenge for several long-shot contenders. The RNC, the Republican Party's governing body, will also require all attendees to support the eventual Republican nominee, the body said on Friday. The rules are almost certain to limit the number of candidates on the debate stage relative to previous election cycles. During the 2016 Republican presidential nominating process, for instance, some 17 candidates participated in the first debate.

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Persons: Reince Priebus, Carlo Allegri WASHINGTON, Donald Trump, Doug Burgum, Perry Johnson, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Gram Slattery, Nathan Layne, Colleen Jenkins, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Republican National, Republican U.S, CNN, University of Miami, REUTERS, Republican National Committee, RNC, Republican, North Dakota, South Carolina, Trump, Thomson Locations: Miami , Florida, Milwaukee, Iowa , New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, North, Trump , Florida