Carly Fiorina to join prime-time line-up for next presidential debate
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Version 0 of 1. Carly Fiorina, the sole female Republican presidential candidate, will join the line-up for the next prime-time televised debate, the only contender to step up from the so-called “kids’ table” to the main platform. Related: Carly Fiorina hits back after Donald Trump criticises her looks She will face front-runner Donald Trump, who this week sparked controversy by criticising Fiorina’s appearance, telling a reporter from Rolling Stone: “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?” In total, 11 candidates have qualified for next week’s main debate, the largest group to share a presidential debate stage in modern American political history. The candidates scheduled to meet next Wednesday evening, announced on Thursday night by debate host CNN, will include former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Fiorina, whose weak polling numbers kept her out of the first debate. But a bump in the polls and an aggressive lobbying effort persuaded CNN to broaden its participation criteria, a coup for Fiorina and Republican officials eager to feature the party’s only 2016 female candidate in the nationally televised clash. Fiorina is not expected to get as much airtime as Trump, who will be positioned front and center when the candidates meet at the Reagan presidential library in California. The undisputed leader of the crowded field in early national polls, Trump is generally considered the biggest reason why Fox News reached 24 million people for the first Republican presidential debate last month – the most watched program in the channel’s history. Sharing the stage with Trump and Fiorina will be former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, Texas senator Ted Cruz, Kentucky senator Rand Paul, Florida senator Marco Rubio, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, New Jersey governor Chris Christie and Ohio governor John Kasich. Related: Republican debate: Trump was garbled, incoherent – but dominant Five candidates lagging in national polls did not qualify for the main event and will instead be featured in an earlier debate in the same venue: former Texas governor Rick Perry, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum and former New York governor George Pataki. Former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore, who scraped a place at the kids’ table last month, does not make the line-up at all, due to low polling. CNN said he had failed to meet the threshold, scoring 1% in just one of 14 qualifying polls. Anticipating Fiorina’s attendance, Trump last week cited the challenges associated with sharing the stage with so many people. “I don’t like the fact there are 11 people there now as I understand it,” the billionaire businessman said in a press conference. “There are too many people. Because when you’ve got 11, you’re not going to hear me and you’re not going to hear other people talking, and I think that’s too bad.” Next week’s debate is among five scheduled before the 2016 primary season’s first voting contest in Iowa next February. Associated Press contributed to this report. |