GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson wrote a letter to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus requesting that there be no required rating in the polls for a Republican candidate to be allowed to participate in the primary debates.
Previously, Preibus joined the “Hugh Hewitt Show,” where he commented on the large number of Republican candidates who could all appear at one debate.
“You can’t,” Priebus said. “You can’t do 20 people. … You have to have certain thresholds in place, so you have to be at 1 percent of the vote in Iowa, and that threshold can move like a slide rule based on the proximity to the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primaries, just like it did before.”
Carson in a letter obtained by Breitbart News, disagrees:
There has been much speculation and conjecture by the media, unnamed party sources and pundits regarding so-called eligibility of certain individuals for the debates, citing the manageability of too many participants, and suggesting screening or elimination contingent on their respective standing in early polls. Limiting participation of qualified candidates on this reasoning, I believe, does our party a tremendous disservice.
Carson said he was concerned that Carly Fiorina, the only female GOP presidential candidate, would not make the cut compared to more “popular” candidates.
“I respect the authority of the RNC to sponsor and regulate the debates, I firmly believe in the value and necessity of allowing the diverse voices of our party to be represented and demonstrated for the benefit of American public’s awareness and information,” Carson said. “Our treasured Republic deserves no less a commitment by the party.”
The first GOP presidential primary debate is scheduled for August 6th in Cleveland, Ohio.