Fox News’ decision to only host 10 GOP presidential candidates in its first debate may end up forcing the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th place candidates to quickly find their footing and start climbing in the polls.
At least one of the lesser-known Republican presidential candidates, Carly Fiorina, is ready to rise to a challenge presented to them by Fox: crack the top 10 of the GOP field, or sit out the first primary debate.
“Glad Fox News released metrics for 1st debate,” she wrote on Twitter Wednesday, after Fox announced its requirement for the debate. “I’ll look forward to making the cut and making my case to GOP voters on Aug 6th.”
Fiorina, a former Hewlett-Packard CEO, is currently polling far down the list on the RealClearPolitics average of national surveys, even though some of the names ahead of hers, like frontrunner Jeb Bush, have not officially announced their campaigns.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, all of whom are expected to run, are in the same boat as Fiorina. Spokespeople for Santorum, Kasich and Jindal did not return requests for comment, and spokesperson for Graham could not be reached.
Brent Bozell, president of the conservative Media Research Center and a regular Fox News guest, said Fox is in a tough bind, but he defended its decision to limit participants.
“They don’t have any other choice,” he said in an interview with the Washington Examiner media desk. “I mean, 10 might be too many. You just can’t have everybody on the stage. So, you got to make a decision.”
To make the debates more inclusive, Bozell said Fox could host another debate that features the second-tier candidates.
“I would host two debates,” he said, “one with the top echelon and one with the second echelon.”
Fox is scheduled to host three debates, including one by Fox Business; there is also a tentative Fox News debate on the Republican National Committee’s schedule.
CNN is taking a similar approach to what Bozell suggested, as the network announced on Wednesday. In its first debate, which will take place in December, there will be up to 18 GOP candidates allowed to participate. However, they will be separated into two groups: a group with the top 10 candidates, and a second group with all candidates who are at least polling nationally above 1 percent.
CNN’s debate is a friendlier format for candidates like Jindal and Kasich because it gives them free exposure to millions of voters who might otherwise have never heard of them.
During the 2012 Republican presidential primary, Newt Gingrich had less money to fund his campaign, but he was a standout star during the debates, giving him a boost in the polls and leading him to a victory in the South Carolina primary.
Fox’s debate is scheduled to take place on Aug. 6 in Cleveland, Ohio.
