[caption id=”attachment_146273″ align=”aligncenter” width=”3840″] Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, speaks during an education summit, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, in Londonderry, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
[/caption]
Many considered her the winner in the pre-primetime debate Fox did for lower ranking candidates and she’s been rising on the national scale ever since. But Carly Fiorina may still be shut out of primetime, according to CNN’s rules for their GOP presidential debate.
The Aug. 6 Fox debate took an average of five recent polls to determine the top 10 candidates for the primetime debate. At the time, Fiorina was polling between zero and two percent.
CNN determines which candidates will be allowed to debate based on an average of polls from July 16-Sept. 10. This hurts Fiorina, as nine of those come from before the Fox debate, with only two afterwards.
Fiorina’s campaign manager, Sarah Isgur Flores, pointed out that Fiorina now places between fourth and seventh place, and that her name recognition and favorability has since risen to double digits.
The statement also calls on the Republican National Committee to intervene so that CNN will allow Fiorina to have a spot on stage.
“The RNC should ask CNN to treat the polling in July the same as the polling that comes after,” Flores said.
She also proclaims that “[t]o be clear, if Carly isn’t on the main stage, it will not be because her rise in the polls can’t overcome lower polling from July, but because only two of CNN’s chosen polling companies have released polls at all since the first debate.”
And, Flores had some stronger statements about the RNC:
…And it will be disappointing if Reince Priebus and the Republican establishment stand by and let a TV network keep Carly off the main stage…again.
It’s a simple question: Will we have a fair debate process or will the political establishment keep ignoring grassroots Republicans?
Reporting from The Hill includes a statement from the RNC, which explains that the rules are left up to the networks. It also points out that such rules were decided back in May. CNN says it is bound by the Federal Election Commission.
An earlier statement from the RNC also mentioned that “no special exemptions can be made; special treatment cannot be given to certain candidates.”
Considering her performance, and going off of her current polling numbers, Fiorina’s determination to get into the debate is understandable. One could argue that the whole purpose of the debates is for candidates to portray themselves to voters, and is a way for them to rise or fall in the polls.
Fiorina appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Wednesday to discuss the criteria. She seemed to remain optimistic though, despite her criticism.
Fiorina reiterated that she’s doing well in state polls, and pointed out that “we don’t have national polls, we have statewide primaries.”
“What I’m doing is what I’ve been doing — taking advantage of every opportunity I’m given,” she said.
