Fox to Limit First GOP Primary Debate to Top-10 Candidates

Fox News Channel will limit the first 2016 Republican presidential debate to candidates who place in the top 10 of an average of the five most recent national polls. The limit will encourage the party’s second-tier candidates to improve their standing ahead of the Aug. 6 debate. Fox hasn’t decided which polls it will use. The network may invite more than 10 candidates, should there be a tie for 10th place. The rule could exclude as many as eight candidates. Already the party’s long-shot candidates have begun jockeying for inclusion in officially sanctioned debates.

CNN, which will air the second GOP debate Sept. 16 from California, will limit the numbers of participating candidates to 10, or possibly eight. But CNN is planning a second-tier candidates forum before the main debate. CNN will use an average of 13 polls conducted by major news organizations, universities and pollsters.