Fox, CNN to pick top 10 in polls for GOP presidential debates
Fox, CNN to pick top 10 in polls for GOP presidential debates - LA Times
Fox News and CNN plan to use an average of recent polls to pick the candidates for the first two Republican presidential debates, with the top 10 making the cut for the main event.
TV producers and Republican Party officials agree that having a dozen or more candidates crowded onto a debate stage would make for bad television and a fairly unenlightening discussion. Candidates would get only a few minutes each to respond to one or two questions.
Who gets a seat at GOP debates? 'It's going to be mess'
Republican officials have shied away from setting criteria about which candidates to invite. So, the networks hosting the debates apparently will take on the unpopular task of telling some number of ambitious politicians that they can't reap the benefit of exposure on the national debate stage.
Fox is the first up. The network is scheduled to host a debate from Cleveland in mid-August.
According to a statement by the network, first reported by the Washington Post, participation in the debate will be determined by an average of the five most recent nationwide public polls.
"We support and respect the decision Fox has made, which will match the greatest number of candidates we have ever had on a debate stage," said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus ...
Can't wait to see them tear each other apart like they did in the past two elections so that Dems can use that as fodder in their campaign.