Republican debate: Trump leads the crowded field into Thursday’s GOP showdown
National Post/The Associated Press/August 4, 2015
Donald Trump’s rapid rise even has some fellow Republicans worried.
Fox News announced the ten candidates who will take the stage for Thursday’s Republican debate in Ohio, the first official clash of the 2016 Presidential race. Fox used a ranking based on a combination of polls to winnow down the field of hopefuls. Here’s what you need to know about the debate:
Kasich and Christie are in
While new Republican darling Donald Trump easily secured top spot, a pair of governors just squeaked into the Top Ten. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich will round out a field that also contains former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Perry and Fiorina are out
Former technology executive Carly Fiorina and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry are among seven hopefuls who were relegated to second-tier status. Republican officials were particularly concerned about Fiorina, hoping she would help balance Hillary Rodham Clinton’s push to rally women to her candidacy. Fiorina and Perry will be allowed to take part in a pre-debate forum, along with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former New York Gov. George Pataki and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore.
The methods have been questioned
Fox didn’t say before Tuesday’s announcement which polls it would use to determine its top 10. Many candidates are grouped together in the single digits, most separated by a number smaller than the margin of error. For example, in a Monmouth University survey released Monday, Kasich was the 10th candidate with the support of 3.2 percent of voters. But after taking the margin of error into account, Monmouth noted that Kasich’s support could be as low as 1.5 percent, while almost any of the candidates who polled lower could be that high or higher. Monmouth found that only five candidates — Trump, Bush, Walker, Cruz and Huckabee — were definitely in the top tier of candidates, while just two -Pataki and Gilmore – would not make it into the top 10 even when margin of error was taken into account.
The Moderators are ready
Fox has tapped three of its anchors — Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace — to moderate the debate, which thanks to Trump’s presence could become one of the most watched events in U.S. political history. Wallace, a ten-year veteran of Fox, told the Washington Post he was thinking a lot about Trump. “He’s a big wild card because you don’t know how he’s going to react,” Wallace said.
Trump will be the focus
Donald Trump’s rapid rise has surprised many Republican officials, some of whom fear his rhetoric on immigration and other divisive issues could hurt the party. In a Tuesday interview, Trump said he’s been defying expectations all his life. “I think people are tired, they’re sick and tired of incompetent politicians,” he said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe when asked to explain his rise.
