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JOHN KASICH’S RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
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SPECIAL SECTION FOR SUBSCRIBERS
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Upcoming debates:
GOP, Jan. 14, South Carolina
DEM, Jan. 17, South Carolina
GOP, Jan. 28, Iowa
GOP, Feb. 6, New Hampshire
DEM, Feb. 11, Wisconsin
GOP, Feb. 13, South Carolina
GOP, Feb. 26, Texas
DEM, March 9, Florida
Republican Gov. John Kasich did it again: squeaking into the last spot on a prime-time GOP debate stage and giving his presidential campaign a boost at a critical juncture.
FOX Business Network on Monday announced the seven Republican candidates who made the cut for the prime-time debate Thursday night in South Carolina. FOX picked the seven debaters based on their polling numbers nationally as well as in Iowa and New Hampshire.
The news means Kasich will have a chance to make his case for why he should get his party’s nomination for president before millions of voters. Viewership of the prime-time debates generally is much higher than it is for the “junior varsity” debates, according to Wright State University political scientist Lee Hannah.
“While viewership has been up for all of the debates compared to 2011-12, about three to four times the number of viewers tune into the main debate. He needs to be on that stage to get momentum nationally. Moreover, Kasich’s presence on the main stage signals that he is a top contender, and supporters, especially in New Hampshire, will continue to support him, rather than selecting their second choice since they aren’t sure if he is viable,” Hannah said.
Making the cut for the prime-time debate on Thursday are:
* Kasich,
* real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump,
* retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson,
* U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida,
* U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas,
* Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush,
* New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, and business executive Carly Fiorina will take part in the earlier debate.
Less than a month from now, voters start making their picks in the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1 and the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. A cascade of primaries immediately follow those two states.
Ohio votes on March 15.
The Republican National Committee-sanctioned debates will be hosted by FOX News on Thursday in North Charleston, South Carolina. The debates are slated to focus on economic, domestic and international policies. Moderating the prime time debate will be network anchor Neil Cavuto and global markets editor Maria Bartiromo. Anchors Trish Regan and Sandra Smith will moderate the 6 p.m. debate.
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