2016 Republican Party presidential debates and forums

none March 2016 Twelve presidential debates and nine forums were held between the candidates for the Republican Party's nomination for president in the 2016 United States presidential election, starting on August 6, 2015. Presidential debates Schedule The Republican National Committee announced the 2015–2016 debate schedule on January 16, 2015. It revealed that 12 debates would be held, in contrast to the 20 debates that were held from 2011 to 2012. The announcement included which news organizations would host each debate, with Fox News and CNN having three each; and one each for ABC, CBS, NBC, CNBC, Fox Business Network, and a conservative media outlet to be announced. It had some changes during the primary. The first live-broadcast debate occurred on Thursday, August 6, 2015,https://video.foxnews.com/v/4406746003001/watch-a-replay-of-fox-news-prime-time-presidential-debate/?#sp=show-clips Watch a replay of Fox News' prime-time presidential debate 7 August 2015 Fox News video 7 March 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. It was seen on the Fox News Channel by 24 million viewers, making the debate the most watched live broadcast for a non-sporting event in cable television history.https://www.wsj.com/articles/republican-debate-audience-was-the-biggest-ever-for-a-nonsports-cable-event-1438992539 Joe Flint Republican Debate Audience Was the Biggest Ever for a Nonsports Cable Event The Wall Street Journal August 7, 2015 October 3, 2015 Due to the number of candidates running for nomination, Fox News aired two separate debates on August 6, with the less popular candidates going first, followed by the candidates with more support in the 'prime time' debate. One debate per month followed through December 2015.https://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/rnc-2016-debate-schedule-114329.html 2016 Presidential Debate Schedule: Republican Party Rolls Out Dates Politico January 16, 2015 The GOP candidates debated twice in January and three times in February 2016.Republican Primary Debate Schedule https://www.gop.com/2016-gophq/event_schedule/?schedule_type=debate GOP.com December 12, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151222151551/https://www.gop.com/2016-gophq/event_schedule/?schedule_type=debate December 22, 2015 dead mdy-all On February 20, 2016, the RNC announced a thirteenth debate, which was to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday, March 21. This would have made for three debates in March, Republican presidential debate coming to Salt Lake City https://www.sltrib.com/home/3561261-155/gop-presidential-debate-coming-to-salt The Salt Lake Tribune February 21, 2016 en-US Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune but the event was later canceled due to all but one of the candidates opting not to attend. The following table lists the twelve RNC debates which took place, along with the dates, times, places, hosts, and participants.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/2/voters-first-forum-to-test-14-republican-president/ Voters First Forum to test 14 Republican presidential candidates The Washington Times August 2, 2015 August 3, 2015https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/07/15/candidate-forum-planned-in-new-hampshire-before-first-republican-debate Candidate Forum Planned in New Hampshire Before First Republican Debate Alan Rappeport July 15, 2015 The New York Timeshttps://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/rnc-2016-debate-schedule-114329.html RNC rolls out 2016 debate schedule James Hohmann Alex Isenstadt January 16, 2015 Politico + Debates among candidates for the 2016 Republican Party U.S. presidential nominationRepublican Primary Debate Schedule https://www.gop.com/2016-gophq/event_schedule/ March 8, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160421114447/https://www.gop.com/2016-gophq/event_schedule/ April 21, 2016 dead mdy-all No. Date Time Place Host Participantsa *black #99ff99  P  Participant, main debate. black #ccffcc  S  Participant, secondary debate. black #5FC  I  Invitee, main debate. black #ff9999  N  Non-invitee. black #ffffdd  A  Absent invitee, main debate.black #ffffdd  AS  Absent invitee, secondary debate. grey #ececec  O  Out of race (withdrawn).BushCarsonChristieCruzFiorinaGilmoreGrahamHuckabeeJindalKasichPatakiPaulPerryRubioSantorumTrumpWalker RNC sanctioned debates 1 August 6, 2015 black #ccffcc  5 p.m. EDT  black #99ff99  9 p.m. EDT Quicken Loans ArenaCleveland, OHFox News/FacebookPPPPSSSPSPSPSPSPP 2 September 16, 2015 black #ccffcc  3 p.m. PDT  black #99ff99  5 p.m. PDT Reagan LibrarySimi Valley, CACNN/Salem RadioPPPPPNSPSPSPOPSPP 3 October 28, 2015 black #ccffcc  4 p.m. MDT  black #99ff99  6 p.m. MDT Coors Events Ctr.Boulder, COCNBC/Westwood OnePPPPPNSPSPSPOPSPO 4 November 10, 2015 black #ccffcc  6 p.m. CST  black #99ff99  8 p.m. CST Milwaukee TheatreMilwaukee, WIFox Business/WSJPPSPPNNSSPNPOPSPO 5 December 15, 2015 black #ccffcc  3 p.m. PST  black #99ff99  5:30 p.m. PSTThe VenetianLas Vegas, NVCNN/Salem RadioPPPPPNSSOPSPOPSPO 6 January 14, 2016 black #ccffcc  6 p.m. EST  black #99ff99  9 p.m. EST N. Charleston ColiseumN. Charleston, SCFox Business/FacebookPPPPSNOSOPOASOPSPO 7 January 28, 2016 black #ccffcc  6 p.m. CST  black #99ff99  8 p.m. CST  Iowa Events CenterDes Moines, IAFox News/GooglePPPPSSOSOPOPOPSAO 8 February 6, 2016 8 p.m. ESTSt. Anselm CollegeGoffstown, NHABC News/IJReview.comPPPPNNOOOPOOOPOPO 9 February 13, 2016 9 p.m. ESTPeace CenterGreenville, SCCBS NewsPPOPOOOOOPOOOPOPO 10 February 25, 2016 7 p.m. CSTUniversity of HoustonHouston, TXCNN/SalemRadio/Telemundo OPOPOOOOOPOOOPOPO 11 March 3, 2016 9 p.m. ESTFox TheatreDetroit, MIFox NewsOOOPOOOOOPOOOPOPO 12 March 10, 2016 9 p.m. ESTUniversity of MiamiBankUnited CenterCoral Gables, FLCNN/Salem Radio/Washington TimesOOOPOOOOOPOOOPOPO*aParticipating in at least one debate listed above:   Former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida Neurosurgeon Ben Carson of Maryland Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas Businesswoman Carly Fiorina of California Former Gov. Jim Gilmore of Virginia Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina Former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana Gov. John Kasich of Ohio Former Gov. George Pataki of New York Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky Former Gov. Rick Perry of Texas Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania Businessman Donald Trump of New York Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin Polling effect The use of polling data had initially been criticized by polling firms such as highly regarded Marist. Prior to the first debate, Marist decided to temporarily suspend its national polling of preferences for the Republican nominee on the basis that using non-scientific polling data to select the bipartisan debate field puts polling firms such as Marist under pressure to produce high-precision results that are inherently impossible to provide at that point in time. For instance, it would be difficult to determine the margin of error in any statistical sampling process like a preference poll (see statistical tie for tenth place, and more generally the independence of clones).https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/marist-poll-suspended-due-to-fox-news-debate-rules/article/2569420 Marist poll suspended due to Fox News debate rules Washington Examiner August 2, 2015 August 3, 2015 FiveThirtyEight made the point of the varying degrees of discretion the television networks gave themselves with their distinct debate invitation criteria, noting that polling data can only be seen as an objective method for selection of the debate participants, if the full and exact criteria are made clear in advance.https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-fox-news-still-isnt-saying-about-its-gop-debate/ https://web.archive.org/web/20150609010931/http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-fox-news-still-isnt-saying-about-its-gop-debate/ dead June 9, 2015 What Fox News Still Isn't Saying About Its GOP Debate Harry Enten FiveThirtyEight June 8, 2015 August 3, 2015 The rhetoric about the pros and cons of the debate criteria, and the use of polls to winnow the field, partially displaced more substantive discussions of concrete policies that candidates are proposing. In terms of many GOP candidates, the use of polls to winnow the field was criticized, especially by candidates with relatively low-polling numbers in August, including Rick Santorum and Lindsey Graham, who both said through the media that their exclusion from the main debates could prevent them from being competitive in the primaries and caucuses.https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-07-06/the-republican-debate-selection-process-is-a-new-wild-card-in-presidential-politics The Republican Debate Selection Process Is a New Wild Card in Presidential Politics Bloomberg Politics July 6, 2015 July 9, 2015 Yaccino, Steven Candidates ranked from 8th to 12th place in the polls prior to the August 2015 debate, which included Chris Christie, Rick Perry, and John Kasich, downplayed the importance of being invited to any specific debate by emphasizing that delegate selection in early states is more important.https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/08/02/rules-take-center-stage-ahead-of-first-debate/?mod=WSJBlog Rules Take Center Stage Ahead of First Debate Ian Talley Victoria McGrane Washington Wire August 2, 2015 August 3, 2015 Christie and fellow one-time candidate Rand Paul both had made the point that the early debates would give candidates a chance to communicate policy ideas to voters, and would subsequently be helpful in giving voters the information needed to decide which candidate to support. Some in the media questioned Donald Trump's seriousness as a candidate, and pondered as to whether or not he should be included in the debates.https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2015/06/30/donald-trump-is-the-least-of-the-gops-2016-concerns Seriously Unserious U.S. News & World Report June 30, 2015 July 9, 2015 Schlesinger, Roberthttps://www.nationaljournal.com/against-the-grain/republicans-donald-trump-debate-mistake-20150623 Republicans' Donald Trump Debate Mistake National Journal June 23, 2015 August 3, 2015 Trump filed FEC paperwork to make his run official;https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/06/22/donald-trump-files-paperwork-making-2016-run-offficial/ Donald Trump Files Paperwork Making 2016 Run Official Heather Haddon The Wall Street Journal June 22, 2015 August 4, 2015 however, despite doing well in the early polling which effectively guaranteed him an invitation to the Fox News and CNN debates, Trump expressed ambivalence about the value of the debates to his own campaign (saying he was not a debater and therefore did not know how well he would perform in one), and to the process in general (saying that politicians are always debating with little in the way of results). Logistics With as many as 17 major candidates vying for the nomination, the prospect of including all the candidates in a debate presented logistical difficulties. For each of the debates held from August 2015 through January 2016, the sponsoring television network conducted both a debate broadcast in prime time preceded by another debate in the afternoon or early evening; the candidates who ranked higher in the polls were invited to the prime time debate, with lower-ranking candidates admitted to the earlier debate only. The earlier debates for the lower-ranked candidates were nicknamed the "undercard" debatesTaylor Jessica Four Republicans Battle For Attention At Undercard Debate https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/10/28/452647820/live-blog-four-republicans-battle-for-attention-at-undercard-debate npr.org 6 November 2015 28 October 2015Miller Zeke J. How Lindsey Graham Dominated the Undercard Debate https://time.com/4037664/republican-debate-lindsey-graham/ Time.com 6 November 2015 16 September 2015 or the "kids' table" debates.Wingfield Kyle Why the 'kids' table' might be better than the main GOP debate Thursday http://kylewingfield.blog.myajc.com/2015/08/05/why-the-kids-table-might-be-better-than-the-main-gop-debate-thursday/ myajc.com 6 November 2015 5 August 2015 January 8, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160108204830/http://kylewingfield.blog.myajc.com/2015/08/05/why-the-kids-table-might-be-better-than-the-main-gop-debate-thursday/ dead Dáte S. V. "Kids Table" Debaters Try to Earn a Promotion https://www.nationaljournal.com/s/91617/2016-gop-debate-kids-table nationaljournal.com 6 November 2015 28 October 2015 Ratings The following table lists the ratings (number of estimated viewers) of the debates to date. Debate Channel Date Viewers 1 FNC August 6, 2015 24 millionG.O.P. Debate Without Trump Draws 12.5 Million Viewers The New York Times January 29, 2016 https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/30/business/media/gop-debate-without-trump-draws-12-5-million-viewers.html?_r=0 January 29, 2016 Koblin John 2 CNN September 16, 2015 23 millionhttps://deadline.com/2015/09/cnn-gop-debate-record-ratings-20-million-viewers-1201531579/ GOP Debate Clocks Record Ratings for CNN Deadline September 17, 2015 3 CNBC October 28, 2015 14 millionGOP Debate Ratings Sets CNBC Record: 14 Million Viewers October 29, 2015 https://deadline.com/2015/10/cnbc-gop-debate-ratings-1201597198/ January 29, 2016 4 FBN November 10, 2015 13.5 millionGOP Debate Ratings: Fox Business Network Draws Record 13.5 Million Viewers https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/gop-debate-fox-business-network-record-1201637951/ January 29, 2016 5 CNN December 15, 2015 18 million 6 FBN January 14, 2016 11.1 million 7 FNC January 28, 2016 12.5 million 8 ABC February 6, 2016 13.2 millionABC Republican Debate Draws Big Saturday Audience: 13.2 Million Viewers https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/ratings-abc-republican-debate-draws-13-2-million-viewers-saturday-1201699524/ February 8, 2016 9 CBS February 13, 2016 13.5 millionhttps://variety.com/2016/tv/news/ratings-gop-debate-cbs-south-carolina-1201706027/ Ratings: GOP Debate on CBS Edge's Last Week as Highest of 2016 Rick Kissell Variety February 14, 2016 10 CNN February 25, 2016 14.5 millionStelter Brian https://money.cnn.com/2016/02/26/media/republican-debate-cnn-telemundo-ratings/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160227125346/http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/26/media/republican-debate-cnn-telemundo-ratings/ dead February 27, 2016 GOP jabfest drew 14.5 million, biggest debate audience since December - Feb. 26, 2016 Money.cnn.com 2016-02-26 2016-03-04 11 FNC March 3, 2016 16.9 millionhttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/fox-news-republican-debate-smashes-2016-viewership-record/ Fox News Republican debate smashes 2016 viewership record FoxNews March 2, 2016 12 CNN March 10, 2016 11.9 millionhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tv-ratings-12th-gop-debate-874461 TV Ratings: 12th GOP Debate Drops to 11.9 Million Viewers on CNN hollywoodreporter.com March 11, 2016 April 4, 2018 USA 400 Sites of the 2016 Republican primary debates. Map of United States showing debate locations. USA FOXCleveland 75 right 41.482222 -81.669722 USA CNNSimi Valley 75 bottom 34.271111 -118.739444 USA CNBCBoulder 75 top 40.027435 -105.251945 USA FOX BusinessMilwaukee 75 bottom 43.041759 -87.917404 USA CNNLas Vegas 75 top 36.175 -115.136389 USA FoxNorth Charleston 75 right 32.885278 -80.016944 USA FOXDes Moines 75 top 41.590833 -93.620833 USA ABCGoffstown 75 top 43.020278 -71.600278 USA CBSGreenville 75 left 34.844444 -82.385556 USA CNNHouston 75 bottom 29.718922 -95.339162 USA FOXDetroit 75 top 42.331389 -83.045833 USA CNNMiami 75 left 25.721644 -80.279267 USA FOX(cancelled)Salt Lake City 75 top 40.75 -111.8833 Debate 1 August 6, 2015 – Cleveland, Ohio The first debate was hosted by Fox News Channel, Facebook, and the Ohio Republican Party at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio – the same location as the future 2016 Republican National Convention. The two-hour debate invited the 10 highest-polling candidates, as measured by the average of the top five national polls selected by Fox. In addition, all other candidates who were "consistently being offered" as choices in national polls were invited to a one-hour debate earlier that same day.https://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/fox-republican-debate-lowers-threshold-120748.html Fox lowers threshold for early debate Politico July 30, 2015 August 3, 2015 (Originally, the non-primetime debate had a minimum requirement that invitees were averaging at least 1% in Fox-recognized national polls,https://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/fox-republican-debate-lowers-threshold-120748.html Fox lowers threshold for early debate Mike Allen July 28, 2015 Politico and was to be aired at noon for a total of two hours in duration.) The two-tiered debate hosted by Fox News on the 6th was qualitatively different from the C-SPAN forum held on the 3rd, for at least three reasons: it was a debate rather than a forum, where candidates were allowed to challenge each other, not just speak one at a time sequentially; it was divided into two tiers based on national polling numbers, only a subset of the candidates were on-stage (during each of the two distinct Fox News airtimes); and finally, Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee were participants in the primetime tier, but did not appear at the C-SPAN forum.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/11788663/Republican-presidential-candidate-debates-live.html Republican party date: Donald Trump stands front and centre – as it happened August 6, 2015 The Daily Telegraph August 7, 2015 The candidates in the main debate were Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, and John Kasich.August 5, 2015 Fox News announces candidate line-up for prime-time debate https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-announces-candidate-line-up-for-prime-time-debate Fox News August 5, 2015 The moderators were Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, and Chris Wallace.Hampson, Rick (November 15, 2016). "Fox anchor Megyn Kelly describes scary, bullying 'Year of Trump'". USA Today. Seven candidates who did not qualify were invited to participate in the 5p.m. forum; these were Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, and George Pataki; the moderators for this debate were Bill Hemmer and Martha McCallum. Because of a rule-change announced by FOX one week before the debate-invitations went out, Graham, Pataki, and Gilmore were allowed to participate at 5p.m. despite averaging below 1% in the five selected polls.https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/08/04/fox-news-announces-the-participants-in-thursday-nights-debate/ Perry out, Kasich in: Fox News announces the participants in Thursday night's debate Philip Bump August 4, 2015 The Washington Post (Former IRS Commissioner Mark Everson was excluded from the 5p.m. tier, along with other relatively unknown candidates who did not meet the updated invitation-criteria of "consistently being offered to respondents in major national polls as recognized by Fox News.") The five selected polls were conducted by Fox News,http://www.foxnews.com/politics/interactive/2015/08/03/poll-new-high-for-trump-new-low-for-clinton/ Poll: New high for Trump, new low for Clinton Fox News August 3, 2015 Bloomberg,http://images.businessweek.com/cms/2015-08-04/8302475320_tue.pdf Bloomberg Politics National Poll Images.businessweek.com January 14, 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150805123928/http://images.businessweek.com/cms/2015-08-04/8302475320_tue.pdf August 5, 2015 mdy-all NATIONAL: TRUMP WIDENS LEAD CBS News,https://www.scribd.com/doc/273490309/CBS-News-GOP-presidential-candidates-poll CBS News GOP presidential candidates poll Scribd Monmouth University,http://www.monmouth.edu/assets/0/32212254770/32212254991/32212254992/32212254994/32212254995/30064771087/67f674c8-fd4a-4a93-afbc-8b246a83da56.pdf NATIONAL: TRUMP WIDENS LEAD Monmouth.edu January 14, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150805123928/http://www.monmouth.edu/assets/0/32212254770/32212254991/32212254992/32212254994/32212254995/30064771087/67f674c8-fd4a-4a93-afbc-8b246a83da56.pdf August 5, 2015 dead and Quinnipiac University.http://www.quinnipiac.edu/images/polling/us/us07302015_U645de.pdf TRUMP TOPS REPUBLICAN PACK BY WIDE MARGIN, QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY NATIONAL POLL FINDS; BUT DEMS TRUMP TRUMP IN GENERAL ELECTION Quinnipiac.edu January 14, 2015 August 5, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150805123940/http://www.quinnipiac.edu/images/polling/us/us07302015_U645de.pdf dead https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2015/aug/06/republican-fox-news-debate-donald-trump-jeb-bush Republican debate: Donald Trump still focus of campaign after sprawling fight – as it happened August 6, 2015 The Daily Telegraph August 7, 2015 In the main event, Trump was afforded the most time to speak at the debate by the Fox moderators (at 10 minutes, 32 seconds) followed by Bush (8:31), Huckabee (6:40), Cruz (6:39), Kasich (6:31), Carson (6:23), Rubio (6:22), Christie (6:10), Walker (5:51), and Paul (5:10).http://editions.lib.umn.edu/smartpolitics/2015/08/06/tale-of-the-tape-at-the-gop-debate/ Tale of the Tape at the GOP Debate Smart Politics Eric Ostermeier August 6, 2015 August 7, 2015 August 17, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200817143959/https://editions.lib.umn.edu/smartpolitics/2015/08/06/tale-of-the-tape-at-the-gop-debate/ dead The debate itself was viewed by 24 million people at its peak, setting records for the most-watched presidential primary debate ever and the highest-rated non-sports telecast in cable television history.https://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2015/08/07/gop-debate-draws-24-million-viewers-making-cable-history-as-donald-trump-leads-the-race/?mod=e2fb GOP Debate Draws 24 Million Viewers, Making Cable History as Donald Trump Leads the Race Joe Flint The Wall Street Journal blog August 7, 2015 https://news.yahoo.com/massive-viewer-numbers-us-presidential-debate-fox-190446396.html;_ylt=A0SO8wvCC8lVPIEABURXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyM3Mzc3VyBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjAzODZfMQRzZWMDc2M-# 24 million watched US presidential debate: Nielsen Yahoo News The two different debates received rather different analyses in terms of the performances of the candidates. In the lower tier debate with only 7 candidates, Carly Fiorina was overwhelmingly considered the best debater, while Perry and Jindal were also praised, and Gilmore, Graham, Pataki, and Santorum were criticized.https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/carly-fiorina-emerges-fan-favorite-after-happy-hour-debate Carly Fiorina emerges as fan favorite after 'happy hour' debate Jane C. Timm MSNBC August 6, 2015 In the primetime debate, frontrunner Donald Trump's overall performance was criticized as rude and erratic by many pundits, while others said his comments were popular and his criticisms were overdue, including his criticism of Bush's description of illegal immigration as an "act of love." Cruz, Rubio, Christie, and Huckabee received praise. Notable conflicts between candidates included Rand Paul vs. Christie over the NSA surveillance program, Paul vs. Trump on the latter's possible third-party run, Paul vs. Trump on healthcare, and Christie vs. Huckabee on the issue of welfare reform. Trump also clashed with two of the moderators – Kelly and Wallace – on the issue of sexism with Kelly, and the issue of illegal immigration with Wallace (specifically, Trump's false claims that the Mexican government was deliberately sending criminals into America illegally).Peters Jeremy W. https://www.nytimes.com/live/republican-debate-election-2016-cleveland/ Republican Debate: Analysis and Highlights - The New York Times The New York Times August 6, 2015 November 7, 2015https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/four-big-takeaways-the-first-gop-presidential-primary-debate Four big takeaways from the first GOP presidential primary debate Benjy Sarlin MSNBC August 7, 2015 https://www.cbsnews.com/media/gop-republican-debate-august-2015-highlights-analysis GOP debate: Trump, Bush, Cruz, Paul, and Rubio mix it up CBS News August 7, 2015 Malkin Elisabeth 2019-02-06 Fact Checking Trump’s Claim That Mexico Sent Migrants to the Border https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/world/americas/trump-state-union-migrants-border.html 2026-10-21 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 The lower tier debate was the first and only debate appearance of former Texas governor Rick Perry, who dropped out of the race less than a month later, after he failed to qualify for the second primetime debate and said that this was damaging to his fundraising abilities.https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/11/politics/rick-perry-2016-campaign-suspended/ Rick Perry Drops out of Presidential Race CNN September 21, 2015https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rick-perry-drops-out-of-2016-presidential-race/ Rick Perry Drops out of 2016 Presidential Race CBS News September 12, 2015 September 21, 2015 September 16, 2015 – Simi Valley, California The second debate took place at (and was co-sponsored by) the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, which previously hosted two of the Republican debates in 2008 – the first and penultimate ones. This 2015 debate was aired on CNN, and simulcast on the Salem Radio Network. Similar to the Fox News-sponsored debate in Cleveland, but with slightly different ranking-criteria, the debate was split into primetime and pre-primetime groups based on averaged polling numbers.https://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2015/images/05/20/debate.criteria1.pdf Candidate Criteria for September 16, 2015 CNN Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Republican Presidential Primary Debate The primetime debate was originally planned to include the candidates ranking in the top ten, as measured by nationwide polling performed by specific firms, averaged across polls that are released between July 16 and September 10;Nancy Reagan invites 16 of 17 GOPers to CNN GOP debate http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/nancy-reagan-invites-16-17-gopers-cnn-gop-debate-article-1.2321633 August 11, 2015 August 11, 2015 New York Daily News the rules were later changed to allow candidates placing in the top ten in polls from August 7 through September 10 to qualify as well. This change was made due to an unexpected scarcity of polls taken after the August 6 debate, which would otherwise have been particularly disadvantageous to Carly Fiorina, who had significantly increased her support in polls taken after that debate but who would otherwise have been kept out of the primetime debate due to her minimal support in the large number of polls taken before the August 6 debate.CNN amends GOP debate criteria https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/01/politics/cnn-debate-criteria-amendment/ September 1, 2015 September 1, 2015 CNN Eleven candidates participated in the prime time debate: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, and Scott Walker.11 Republicans to share stage in next presidential debate https://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/11-republicans-share-stage-next-presidential-debate-000242836.html September 10, 2015 September 10, 2015 Associated Press December 29, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151229190142/https://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/11-republicans-share-stage-next-presidential-debate-000242836.html deadhttps://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-34275181 Republican presidential debate: as it happened September 17, 2015 BBC News September 18, 2015 The candidates in the undercard debate were Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham, Rick Santorum, and George Pataki. Rick Perry had been invited to the undercard debate but suspended his campaign on September 11, effectively ending his candidacy. Rick Perry suspends his presidential bid with 'no regrets' https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/09/11/rick-perry-suspends-presidential-bid/ The Washington Post September 11, 2015 September 12, 2015 David Weigel, David A. Fahrenthold Philip Rucker Former governor Jim Gilmore did not qualify for either debate.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2015/sep/16/republican-presidential-debate-cnn Republican presidential debate: Trump and Bush clash but Fiorina stands out – as it happened September 17, 2015 Guardian September 18, 2015 The undercard broadcast took place at 3pm PDT, while the main card broadcast took place at 5pm PDT.CNN moves prime-time GOP debate to 8 pm https://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/cnn-debate-criteria-213414 September 8, 2015 September 8, 2015 Politico The two-tiered CNN broadcasts were consecutive, with the primetime debate immediately following the second-tier broadcast.http://www.hughhewitt.com/jake-tapper-on-debate-prep-and-the-purpose-of-debates/ Jake Tapper On Debate Prep And The Purpose Of Debates The Hugh Hewitt Show August 12, 2015 The moderator was Jake Tapper of CNN, with participation by Hugh Hewitt and Dana Bash.https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2015/08/16-gop-candidates-invited-to-cnn-debate-212204 16 GOP candidates invited to CNN debate Hadas Gold August 11, 2015 Politico Hadas Gold The primetime debate, like the first on Fox News, was a massive ratings success with nearly 23 million viewers, roughly 1 million less than the previous debate, and setting the record for the highest-rated broadcast in CNN's history. The primary focus of the debate was on Carly Fiorina, the one and only candidate who rose from the "undercard" tier of the previous debate into the primetime debate this time around. After the debate, most analysts believed that she successfully solidified her newfound status as a top-tier candidate, and successfully defended herself against attacks by Donald Trump. Marco Rubio was also largely viewed as the other strong performer of the night, and both Fiorina's and Rubio's poll numbers began to increase significantly in the wake of this debate.https://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-teitelbaum/marco-rubio-shines-at-second-debate_b_8156362.html Marco Rubio Shines at Second Debate Huffington Post September 18, 2015 September 23, 2015https://insider.foxnews.com/2015/09/16/charles-krauthammer-carly-fiorina-won-gop-debate-marco-rubio-came-close-second Krauthammer: Fiorina won GOP Debate, Rubio Came in Close Second Fox News September 23, 2015 Additional candidates who received praise included Mike Huckabee and Chris Christie, while frontrunner Donald Trump, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, and Ohio governor John Kasich were largely criticized. Notable exchanges in the debate were Trump vs Fiorina on the former's comments about her face and on each other's business records, Trump vs Paul on the former's insults, Trump vs Bush on immigration, Trump vs Bush on casino gambling in Florida, women's health issues, and foreign policy, as well as Christie and Bush against Paul on marijuana legalization.https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/17/politics/republican-debate-winners-losers-donald-trump/ Republican Debate: Winners and Losers CNN Politics September 23, 2015http://www.nationalreview.com/article/424236/GOP-debate-fiorina-rubio-won-trump-kasich-lost GOP Debate: Fiorina, Rubio Won; Trump, Kasich Lost National Review September 18, 2015 September 23, 2015https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-jeb-bush-lie-florida-casino-gambling-502144 Donald Trump Either Lied To The Republicans Or Broke The Law Newsweek Kurt Eichenwald September 25, 2016 This was the second and final debate appearance by Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, who dropped out of the race five days later, saying that the subsequent decrease of his own poll numbers and fundraising were largely due to his two debate performances being largely panned by commentators.https://www.wsj.com/articles/scott-walker-to-drop-out-of-presidential-race-1442868289 Scott Walker Drops out of 2016 Presidential Race The Wall Street Journal September 21, 2015 September 21, 2015 Epstein Reid J. O'Connor Patrick During the less formal section of the debate the candidates were asked what secret service nicknames they'd choose were they to become President of the United States. The candidates answered as follows; Jeb Bush: Eveready (a reference to Donald Trump's earlier "low-energy" criticism), Ben Carson: One Nation, Chris Christie: True Heart, Ted Cruz: Cohiba, Carly Fiorina: Secretariat, Mike Huckabee: Duck Hunter, John Kasich: Unit 2 (his wife is Unit 1), Rand Paul: Justice Never Sleeps (Tapper suggest it might be a mouthful), Marco Rubio: Gator, Donald Trump: Humble, and Scott Walker: Harley. October 28, 2015 – Boulder, Colorado The third debate was held on October 28 at the University of Colorado in Boulder, which is also one of the sponsors. CNBC stated that the debate would focus on the economy.CNBC to Host Republican Presidential Debate at the University of Colorado Boulder on Wednesday, October 28 https://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/16/cnbc-to-host-republican-presidential-debate-at-the-university-of-colorado-boulder-on-wednesday-october-28.html CNBC July 21, 2015 July 16, 2015 The moderators were announced as John Harwood, Carl Quintanilla, and Becky Quick, with additional questions to be asked by Rick Santelli, Sharon Epperson, and Jim Cramer. On September 30, CNBC announced that all candidates with an average of 2.5% or betterhttp://www.businessinsider.com/cnbc-republican-debate-rules-2015-9 A tiny rule tweak could shake up the next Republican debate September 30, 2015 Business Insider in polls conducted by NBC,Murray Mark https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/nbc-wsj-poll-2016-gop-race-n433991 NBC/WSJ Poll: Trump and Carson Lead GOP; Clinton Loses Ground NBC News September 29, 2015 January 14, 2016https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/NBCWSJOct2015PollFinal.pdf HART RESEARCH ASSOCIATES/PUBLIC OPINION STRATEGIES October 2015 Wsj.com January 14, 2016 Fox,http://www.foxnews.com/politics/interactive/2015/09/23/fox-news-poll-2016-election-pope-francis-popularity/ Fox News Poll: 2016 election, Pope Francis' popularity Foxnews.com January 14, 2016http://www.foxnews.com/politics/interactive/2015/10/13/fox-news-poll-carson-giving-trump-run-for-his-money/ Fox News Poll: Carson giving Trump a run for his money Foxnews.com January 14, 2016 CNN,https://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2015/images/09/20/rel10a.pdf CNN Poll September 2015 I2.cdn.turner.com January 14, 2016Agiesta Jennifer https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/20/politics/poll-donald-trump-ben-carson-gop Poll: Donald Trump, Ben Carson dominate GOP field as Fiorina falters - CNNPolitics.com CNN October 20, 2015 January 14, 2016 ABC,https://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/politics/washington-post-abc-news-poll-oct-15-18-2015/1852/ The Washington Post-ABC News poll, Oct. 15-18, 2015 The Washington Post September 10, 2017 January 19, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210119072551/https://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/politics/washington-post-abc-news-poll-oct-15-18-2015/1852/ dead CBS,https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-trump-still-leads-carson-in-second/ Election 2016: CBS News poll shows Donald Trump still leads, Ben Carson in second CBS News October 11, 2015 January 14, 2016 and Bloomberghttp://images.businessweek.com/cms/2015-09-22/150923_wednesday_2121165.pdf Bloomberg Politics National Poll : Methodology Images.businessweek.com January 14, 2016 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150924231807/http://images.businessweek.com/cms/2015-09-22/150923_wednesday_2121165.pdf September 24, 2015 mdy-all released in the five weeks (from September 17 through October 21 inclusivehttps://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/30/cnbc-republican-debate-criteria.html CNBC Republican Debate Criteria Cnbc.com September 30, 2015 November 7, 2015) before the October 28 debate would be invited to participate in the primetime debate at 8p.m. EDT. All other candidates receiving at least 1% in any one of the polls conducted by the six recognized firms would be invited to the undercard debate at 6p.m. EDT.https://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/gop-debate-cnbc-undercard-candidates-polls-214290 CNBC sets 3 percent polling floor for main GOP debate stage September 30, 2015 Politico In response to the previous debate on CNN running over three hours in length, the top two highest-polling candidates – Donald Trump and Ben Carson – teamed up in a threatened boycott of the CNBC debate. They demanded that the debate be limited to no longer than two hours, and also that opening and closing statements be included in those two hours; otherwise, if these conditions were not met, both Trump and Carson would withdraw from the debate.https://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/donald-trump-threatens-to-pull-out-next-gop-debate-214837#ixzz3ofGvfdJ1 Donald Trump threatens to pull out of next GOP debate Politico October 15, 2015 October 15, 2015https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/donald-trump-ben-carson-threaten-boycott-next-gop-debate-n445371?cid=sm_fb Donald Trump and Ben Carson threaten boycott of the next GOP debate NBC News October 15, 2015 October 15, 2015 On October 16, CNBC announced that it had accepted the demands of Trump and Carson, setting the two-hour maximum and allowing for opening and closing statements.https://video.foxnews.com/v/4562745827001/cnbc-caves-to-debate-demands-of-trump-carson/?#sp=show-clips CNBC caves to debate demands of Trump, Carson Fox News October 16, 2015http://www.aol.com/article/2015/10/16/cnbc-caves-to-donald-trump-ben-carson-s-debate-demands/21250242/ CNBC caves to Donald Trump and Ben Carson's debate demands AOL October 16, 2015 On October 21, CNBC announced that 10 candidates (Bush, Carson, Christie, Cruz, Fiorina, Huckabee, Kasich, Paul, Rubio and Trump) would take the stage shortly after 8p.m. EDT, with four candidates (Graham, Jindal, Santorum, and Pataki) on stage about two hours earlier.https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/cnbc-reveals-republican-presidential-debate-lineup October 21, 2015 MSNBC.com CNBC reveals Republican presidential debate lineup October 21, 2015 Whether Jindal would participate was unclear; he said on October 20 that he might skip the debate if the criteria for the main group was not changed.https://theweek.com/speedreads/584226/allbutforgotten-gop-presidential-candidate-bobby-jindal-might-skip-next-debate All-but-forgotten GOP presidential candidate Bobby Jindal might skip the next debate The Week October 20, 2015 October 21, 2015 On October 27, Jindal's press secretary said he would participate: "We just thought about it and he's always been ready to debate at any time." Bobby Jindal will participate in CNBC undercard debate http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/10/bobby_jindal_will_participate.html https://web.archive.org/web/20151028133455/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/10/bobby_jindal_will_participate.html dead October 28, 2015 New Orleans Times-Picayune October 28, 2015 October 27, 2015 Litten Kevin The primetime debate featured numerous clashes between the candidates and the moderators, and the moderators were criticized – both by the candidates and by commentators in the aftermath – for perceived rudeness towards the candidates, asking questions that were perceived as biased.https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/what-we-learned-third-gop-debate-n453436 What we learned from the third GOP debate NBC News October 29, 2015 October 29, 2015https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cnbc-debate-moderators-face-backlash-3rd-gop-presidential/story?id=34803250 CNBC Debate Moderators Face Backlash After 3rd GOP Debate ABC News October 29, 2015 Cruz, Rubio, Christie, Huckabee, Trump, and Carson all criticized the moderators at some point or another, and often received the loudest applause as a result.https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/us/politics/gop-candidates-take-sharp-tone-in-third-debate.html?_r=0 GOP candidates take sharp tone in third debate The New York Times October 29, 2015 October 29, 2015 The CNBC moderators were also criticized by some news outlets, such as The Daily Beast,Lamestream GOP Moderators' Total Debate Fail https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/29/lamestream-cnbc-moderators-blamed-for-gop-debate-debacle.html Lloyd Grove The Daily Beast October 29, 2015 Lloyd Grove with Bill Maher, Byron York, and Stuart Rothenberg also criticizing the moderators.CNBC's really bad debate night https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/10/28/cnbcs-really-bad-debate-night/ Aaron Blake The Washington Post Other news sources have come out in support of CNBC's vigorous vetting of the candidates, such as The Guardian.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/28/republican-debate-cnbc-media-economic-policy Republican candidates attack media over tough debate questions Dan Roberts the Guardian October 29, 2015 At Salon, Huffington Post Senior Media Editor Jack Mirkinson described CNBC's handling of the debate as "catastrophic", while feminist blogger and former John Edwards Campaign Blogmaster Amanda Marcotte described the questions as "substantive".CNBC just set the standard for catastrophic debate performances Salon Jack Mirkinson October 29, 2015 https://www.salon.com/2015/10/29/jeb_bushs_stunning_televised_implosion_how_the_former_gop_frontrunner_became_a_sad_pathetic_joke/https://www.salon.com/2015/10/29/cnbc_did_ask_substantive_questions_thats_why_republicans_are_mad/ CNBC did ask substantive questions. That's why Republicans are mad Amanda Marcotte salon.com October 30, 2015 Many commentators considered the winners of the primetime debate to be Rubio, Cruz, and Christie, primarily for their attacks on the debate's moderator's questions. The two front-runners in the polls at the time, Trump and Carson, did not receive as much focus nor had as many memorable moments, but were still viewed as doing fairly well.https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/10/28/winners-and-losers-from-the-3rd-republican-presidential-debate/ Winners and losers from the 3rd Republican presidential debate The Washington Post October 29, 2015 Bush and Kasich were largely criticized for their performances, particularly when the former argued with Rubio over Rubio's attendance record as a Senator, and when the latter clashed with Trump over Kasich's record as governor, and his sudden shift in debate strategy from passive to aggressive, which Trump said was simply being done in response to his falling poll numbers.https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/republican-debate-2016-boulder/412972/ Who Won the Third Republican Presidential Debate? The Atlantic October 29, 2015 October 29, 2015 On October 30, 2015, the RNC announced that NBC News would no longer host the February 26, 2016, debate in Houston. RNC chairman Reince Priebus showed concerns that an NBC-hosted debate could result in a "repeat" of the CNBC debate, as both are divisions of NBCUniversal, although NBC News is editorially separate from CNBC. Priebus explained that CNBC had conducted the October 28 debate in "bad faith", arguing that "while debates are meant to include tough questions and contrast candidates' visions and policies for the future of America, CNBC's moderators engaged in a series of 'gotcha' questions, petty and mean-spirited in tone, and designed to embarrass our candidates. What took place Wednesday night was not an attempt to give the American people a greater understanding of our candidates' policies and ideas." As for the venue, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump complained about the heat in the arena made their sweating visible to the viewers. The Republicans then drafted a list of demands including "The temperature in the auditorium must be below 67°F (19°C)."Republicans make debate offer media can't refuse?, Anthony Zurcher, BBC, 2 November 2015.Read the letter that Ben Ginsberg drafted for the GOP summit, David Weigel, The Washington Post, November 1, 2015. November 10, 2015 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin The fourth debate was held on November 10, 2015, at the Milwaukee Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, airing on the Fox Business Network and sponsored by The Wall Street Journal. This debate focused on jobs, taxes, and the general health of the U.S. economy, as well as on domestic and international policy issues. The moderators were Neil Cavuto, Maria Bartiromo and Gerard Baker.Fox Business Network and the Wall Street Journal Present Two GOP Presidential Primary Debates on November 10th http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151027006884/en/Fox-Business-Network-Wall-Street-Journal-Present Business Wire October 27, 2015 October 27, 2015 To participate in the main debate, a candidate needed to have an average of at least 2.5% in the four most recent recognized national polls conducted through November 4. Candidates who failed to reach that average but who scored at least 1% in any of those four polls were invited to the secondary debate, which was moderated by Sandra Smith, Trish Regan, and The Wall Street Journal′s Washington bureau chief, Gerald Seib. The official debate lineup was unveiled on November 5. This lineup noticeably differed from previous lineups in several significant ways: For the first time in the debate season, there were fewer than ten candidates in the primetime lineup; that consists of eight candidates: Trump, Carson, Rubio, Cruz, Bush, Fiorina, Kasich, and Paul.http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/11/05/fox-business-networkwsj-gop-candidate-debate-lineup-announced/ FOX Business Network/WSJ GOP Candidate Debate Lineup Announced Fox Business November 5, 2015 November 5, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151106233210/http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/11/05/fox-business-networkwsj-gop-candidate-debate-lineup-announced/ November 6, 2015 dead Also, over half of the original set of lower-tier candidates polling less than 1% were excluded from the undercard debate due to failing to reach at least 1% in some polls, those being Graham, Pataki, and Gilmore. Thus, the lower-tier debate lineup instead featured Christie and Huckabee – both removed from the main stage for the first time – alongside previous lower-tier candidates Santorum and Jindal.https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/259351-christie-misses-main-debate-stage-cut/ Christie, Huckabee miss main debate stage cut The Hill November 5, 2015 November 5, 2015 Notable exchanges included Trump vs Kasich and Bush on immigration, Trump vs Bush on foreign policy, Fiorina vs Paul on Russia, and Rubio vs Paul on the formers tax plan as well as military spending. Cruz and Kasich also had an exchange on whether they would bail out the banks. The undercard debate was the fourth and final debate appearance of Governor Bobby Jindal, who ended his campaign on November 17, stating "this is not my time."https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/us/politics/bobby-jindal-presidential-race.html?_r=0 Bobby Jindal Quits Republican Presidential Race The New York Times November 17, 2015 November 17, 2015 December 15, 2015 – Las Vegas, Nevada thumb|right|Spin room at the Las Vegas debate The fifth debate was held on December 15, 2015, at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. 2016 Presidential Debates Fast Facts https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/27/us/2016-presidential-debates-fast-facts/ CNN September 13, 2015 August 20, 2015 It was the second debate to air on CNN, and was also broadcast by Salem Radio. The debate was moderated solely by Wolf Blitzer with Dana Bash and Hugh Hewitt serving alongside as questioners. Scott Eugene Stage set for final GOP debate of 2015 https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/13/politics/republican-debate-gop-stage/ December 15, 2015 CNN December 14, 2015 The debate was split into primetime and pre-primetime groups based on averaged polling numbers; in order to participate in the main debate, candidates had to meet one of three criteria in polls conducted between October 29 and December 13 which were recognized by CNN—either an average of at least 3.5% nationally, or at least 4% in either Iowa or New Hampshire. CNN Republican presidential debate criteria announced http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/20/politics/republican-presidential-debate-criteria-announced/index.html?sr=fbpol112015republican-presidential-debate-criteria-announced0435PMVODtopLink&linkId=18917929 CNN November 20, 2015 November 20, 2015 The secondary debate featured candidates that had reached at least 1% in four separate national, Iowa, or New Hampshire polls that are recognized by CNN. Paul was included in the main debate after not qualifying under the original rules because he received 5% support in Iowa in a Fox News poll. How Rand Paul barely made it into Tuesday's main debate https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-rand-paul-barely-made-it-into-tuesdays-main-debate/ www.cbsnews.com December 14, 2015 January 2, 2016 The debate lineup was announced on December 13 to include Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Carson, Bush, Fiorina, Christie, Paul, and Kasich in the primetime debate, and Huckabee, Santorum, Graham, and Pataki in the undercard debate. Commentators suggested that the key confrontation would be between Trump and Cruz, based on their respective polling in Iowa. https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-12-15/how-the-fifth-republican-debate-could-reshape-the-race How the Fifth Republican Debate Could Reshape the Race Sahil Kapur Michael C Bender Kevin Cirilli December 15, 2015 Bloomberg.com/politics Eighteen million people watched the debate, making it the third-largest audience ever for a presidential primary debate. 18 million watched Republican debate https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2015/12/16/republican-debate-ratings-las-vegas-cnn/77425988/ USA Today December 17, 2015 During the debate, the audible coughing was attributed to Ben Carson. His campaign admitted that they all got sick a month prior and Carson had kept the cough for weeks. The cough was "almost gone" and Carson was not really sick at the time. The Cough That Consumed the GOP Debate https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cough-consumed-gop-debate/story?id=35790073 ABC News December 16, 2015 December 17, 2015 Notable exchanges included Trump vs Bush on foreign policy as well as the formers proposed Muslim ban, Paul vs Rubio on the NSA and immigration, as well as Cruz vs Rubio on the NSA metadata program, foreign policy, and immigration. The undercard debate was the fourth and final debate appearance of Senator Lindsey Graham and former Governor George Pataki, who suspended their campaigns on December 21 First on CNN: Graham ends his campaign for the White House https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/21/politics/lindsey-graham-2016-campaign-drops-out/ CNN December 21, 2015 and December 29, Former NY Gov. George Pataki announces he will end 2016 GOP presidential bid https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/12/29/pataki-telling-backers-hes-planning-to-drop-white-house-bid.html Fox News December 29, 2015 December 29, 2015 respectively. January 14, 2016 – North Charleston, South Carolina On December 8, 2015, it was announced that Fox Business Network would host an additional debate two days after the State of the Union address.Fox Business Network To Air Additional GOP Debate Days After SOTU https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/fox-business-jan-14-debate Talking Points Memo December 8, 2015 December 8, 2015 The debate was held in the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina. The anchor and managing editor of Business News, Neil Cavuto, and anchor and global markets editor, Maria Bartiromo, repeated their roles as moderators for the prime-time debate, which began at 9p.m. EST. The earlier debate, which started at 6p.m. EST, was again moderated by anchors Trish Regan and Sandra Smith.FOX Business Network Announces Moderators for GOP Primary Debates on Jan. 14 http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2016/01/05/fox-business-network-announces-moderators-for-gop-primary-debates-on-jan-14/ Fox Business January 5, 2015 January 5, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20160106023645/http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2016/01/05/fox-business-network-announces-moderators-for-gop-primary-debates-on-jan-14/ January 6, 2016 dead mdy-all TV Listings & Channel Guide AT&T U-verse http://uverse.com/guide#show=detail&sid=0&pid=3604017 uverse.com January 11, 2016 On December 22, 2015, Fox Business Network announced that in order to qualify for the prime-time debate, candidates would have to either place in the top six nationally (based on an average of the five most recent national polls recognized by FOX News), place in the top five in Iowa (based on an average of the five most recent Iowa state polls recognized by FOX News), or place in the top five in New Hampshire (based on an average of the five most recent New Hampshire state polls recognized by FOX News). In order to qualify for the first debate, candidates must have registered at least 1% in one of the five most recent national polls.FOX Business Network Announces Entry Criteria for GOP Primary Debates on Jan. 14 http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/12/22/fox-business-network-announces-entry-criteria-for-gop-primary-debates-on-jan-14/ Fox Business December 22, 2015 December 22, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151223140443/http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/12/22/fox-business-network-announces-entry-criteria-for-gop-primary-debates-on-jan-14/ December 23, 2015 dead mdy-all Seven candidates were revealed to have been invited to the prime-time debate on January 11, 2016, namely Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump. At the debate, participants were introduced in order of their poll rankings. Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, and Rick Santorum participated in the undercard debate. Rand Paul was invited, but said, "I won't participate in anything that's not first tier because we have a first tier campaign."Jackson David https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/01/11/fox-business-network-rand-paul-donald-trump-south-carolina/78626910/ Fox Business invites 7 Republicans to debate; Paul and Fiorina relegated USA Today January 11, 2016 January 11, 2016Rafferty Andrew https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/rand-paul-says-he-ll-boycott-debate-after-missing-main-n494406 Rand Paul Says He'll Boycott Debate After Missing Main Stage NBC News January 11, 2016 January 11, 2016 Noteworthy exchanges included Rubio versus Christie on the latter's record, Trump versus Cruz on Cruz's eligibility and "New York Values", Trump vs Bush and Rubio on trade with China and versus Rubio on the former's tax plan as well as illegal immigration records. January 28, 2016 – Des Moines, Iowa left|thumb|252px|Republican Party debate stage, Des Moines, Iowa, January 2016 The seventh debate was held in Iowa, which holds the first caucuses, and was the second debate to air on Fox News Channel. As in Fox's first debate, the moderators were Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, and Chris Wallace.Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly will be at GOP debate in January https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-kelly-trump-fox-debate-20150813-story.html Los Angeles Times September 27, 2015 August 13, 2015 It was the last debate before actual voting began with the Iowa caucuses on February 1, 2016. These States Could Pick the GOP Nominee, Each for Different Reasons https://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/newsdesk/states-that-could-pick-gop-nominee?mref=scroll National Journal December 16, 2015https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-to-host-last-gop-debate-before-iowa-caucuses Fox News to host last GOP debate before Iowa caucuses FoxNews December 21, 2015 The debate was, again, divided into undercard and primetime rounds; to qualify for the primetime debate, candidates must have, in polls recognized by FNC, either placed in the top six nationally based on an average of the five most recent national polls; place in the top five in Iowa, based on an average of the five most recent Iowa state polls, or place in the top five in New Hampshire, based on an average of the five most recent New Hampshire state polls. In order to qualify for the first debate, candidates must have registered at least one percent in one of the five most recent national polls.FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANNOUNCES CRITERIA FOR UPCOMING REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY DEBATE https://press.foxnews.com/2016/01/fox-news-channel-announces-criteria-for-upcoming-republican-presidential-primary-debate/ Fox News January 21, 2016 January 21, 2016 On January 26, 2016, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump were invited to the primetime debate. Trump, however, declined to participate due to prior confrontations with the network and moderator Megyn Kelly, and instead hosted a town hall with charitable proceeds going to veterans groups.August 2022 Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, Mike Huckabee, and Rick Santorum were invited to the undercard debate.http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/01/26/fox-news-announces-gop-debate-candidate-lineup.html Fox News announces GOP debate candidate lineup Fox News January 26, 2016 January 26, 2016 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160127001104/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/01/26/fox-news-announces-gop-debate-candidate-lineup.html January 27, 2016 mdy-all The undercard debate was only the second of the 2016 cycle to which Gilmore was invited; he was also in the August 6, 2015, undercard debate, also hosted by Fox News.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/29/republican-debate-donald-trump-marco-rubio-jeb-bush-ted-cruz Donald Trump sidelined as rivals debate without Republican frontrunner January 29, 2016 Guardian January 29, 2016https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/us/politics/republican-debate.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio Clash Harshly, Filling Void on G.O.P. Debate Stage January 29, 2016 The New York Times January 29, 2016 Immigration and foreign policy featured prominently in this debate. Multiple candidates (namely Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, and Jeb Bush) used the opportunity to criticize the second-place Cruz, who had also been subjected to attack ads in the weeks before Iowa from prominent Republican leaders. Christie took on Cruz on the issue of the NSA metadata program, and Bush took on both Cruz and Rubio on their senate records and also took on Rubio on his immigration record. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz had 2 exchanges: the 1st on the NSA and Audit the Fed, and the 2nd on immigration. In particular, Cruz and Rubio (the third-place candidate at this point in the race) attacked each other's immigration records.https://www.npr.org/2016/01/29/464805170/trump-less-debate-is-different-but-with-a-familiar-outcome Trump-less Debate Sets A New Standard, But With A Familiar Outcome Ron Elving NPR January 29, 2016 Ron Elving https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-would-the-republican-race-look-like-without-trump/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160130084130/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-would-the-republican-race-look-like-without-trump/ dead January 30, 2016 Nate Silver What Would The Republican Race Look Like Without Trump? January 29, 2016 FiveThirtyEight.com Nate Silver This was the final debate appearance of Fiorina, Gilmore, Huckabee, Paul, and Santorum. Huckabee suspended his campaign on February 1,Strauss Daniel https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/mike-huckabee-suspends-his-2016-campaign-218593 Mike Huckabee suspends his 2016 campaign Politico February 1, 2016 February 2, 2016 while Paul and Santorum ended their presidential bids on February 3. Rick Santorum dropping presidential bid - CNNPolitics.com https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/03/politics/rick-santorum-dropping-presidential-bid/index.html CNN February 3, 2016 Rand Paul dropping out of presidential race - CNNPolitics.com https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/03/politics/rand-paul-dropping-out-of-presidential-race/index.html CNN February 3, 2016 Fiorina and Gilmore were excluded from the following debate, and suspended their campaigns on February 10 and 12, respectively.https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/02/10/carly-fiorina-republican-presidential-race/80031768/ Carly Fiorina drops out of GOP presidential race USA TodayStracqualursi Veronica https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/virginia-gov-jim-gilmore-suspends-presidential-campaign/story?id=36903442 Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore Suspends Presidential Campaign ABC News February 12, 2016 February 12, 2016 February 6, 2016 – Goffstown, New Hampshire The eighth debate was held in New Hampshire, the first state to hold primaries, was organized by ABC News and the Independent Journal Review. It was scheduled to be held in the St Anselm's College Institute of Politics. Scheduled Presidential Candidate Visits & Other Forums - LWV of New Hampshire http://lwvnh.org/Forums-debates.html lwvnh.org December 16, 2015 December 31, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151231161423/http://lwvnh.org/Forums-debates.html dead The eighth debate was the first to not feature an undercard event for minor candidates.Kamisar Ben Rand Paul makes main debate stage https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/267106-rand-paul-makes-main-debate-stage/ February 2, 2016 January 26, 2016 The Hill David Muir and Martha Raddatz were moderaters, along with WMUR political director Josh McElveen and Mary Katherine Ham.Anthony Bennett When Is the Next GOP Debate? https://heavy.com/news/2016/02/gop-debate-time-channel-live-stream-trump-cruz-rubio-bush-carson/ Heavy.com February 4, 2016 February 3, 2016 To participate in the debate, a candidate had to have either placed among the top three candidates in the popular vote of the Iowa caucus, or placed among the top six candidates in an average of New Hampshire or national polls recognized by ABC News. Only polls conducted no earlier than January 1 and released by February 4 were included in the averages.ABC News ABC News Announces Criteria For New Hampshire Republican Debate https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/abc-news-announces-criteria-hampshire-republican-debate/story?id=36550263 ABC News February 2, 2016 January 27, 2016 ABC News (United States) On February 4, 2016, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump were invited to the debate.https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/abc-news-announces-hampshire-republican-debate-candidate-lineup/story?id=36721505 ABC News Announces New Hampshire Republican Debate Candidate Lineup ABC News February 4, 2016 February 4, 2016 Carly Fiorina and Jim Gilmore were not invited as they did not meet the criteria.Kamisar Ben https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/268317-carly-fiorina-abc-republican-debate/ Carly Fiorina misses debate stage The Hill February 4, 2016 February 4, 2016 The introduction of the candidates caused several mishaps, including Carson missing his introduction and Kasich's introduction being skipped by the announcers. Carson misses his intro at debate, stands awkwardly off stage https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/02/06/carson-doesnt-hear-his-name-called-debate-stands-awkwardly-off-stage/79947082/# USA Today February 11, 2016 During the debate, Rubio – who was perceived as gaining significant momentum after a close third-place finish in Iowa – faced attacks from Bush and particularly Christie, who criticized Rubio for repeating popular talking points rather than debating specifics. Rubio's poor response to Christie's criticisms led many to consider Rubio as the loser of the debate, with most of his post-Iowa momentum severely blunted by the performance. Conversely, Cruz faced attacks from Carson over allegations that Cruz's campaign, on the night of the Iowa caucuses, was spreading rumors that Carson had already dropped out of the race, so as to switch Carson voters to Cruz. There was also another clash between Trump and Bush over the issue of eminent domain, to the point where Trump was booed by the audience. Trump subsequently accused the audience of consisting mostly of Bush's donors and supporters.https://www.npr.org/2016/02/06/465868773/watch-republican-presidential-debate NPR Republican Debate: 5 Things You Missed Danielle Kurtzleben February 6, 2016 Despite Christie's perceived strong performance, this would ultimately be his final debate appearance, as the governor suspended his campaign four days later, after finishing 6th in New Hampshire.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/10/chris-christie-expected-suspend-presidential-campa/ Chris Christie to suspend presidential campaign The Washington Times February 10, 2016 February 13, 2016 – Greenville, South Carolina The ninth debate was held in another early primary state, South Carolina, and organized by CBS News. The debate was moderated by John Dickerson in the Peace Center in Greenville, started at 9pm ET and went for 90 minutes. CBS News announces details for 2016 debates https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-announces-details-for-2016-debates/ www.cbsnews.com August 11, 2015 December 16, 2015 Major Garrett of CBS and Kimberley Strassel of WSJ also asked questions.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/criteria-for-cbs-news-republican-debate/ CBS News announces Republican debate criteria CBS News February 9, 2016 To participate in the debate, a candidate had to have either (1) placed among the top five candidates in the popular vote of the New Hampshire primary, (2) placed among the top three candidates in the popular vote of the Iowa caucuses, or (3) be among the top five candidates in an average of national and South Carolina polls over the four weeks beginning January 15 (that are recognized by CBS) and have received at least 3% in Iowa or New Hampshire or the South Carolina or national polls.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/criteria-for-cbs-news-republican-debate/ CBS News announces Republican debate criteria February 9, 2016 CBS News The day before the debate, Ben Carson was invited to join the other participants: Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump. The debate was particularly combative, with Trump attacking Bush for his stances on illegal immigration, his defense of former president George W. Bush, and his record as governor. It also included Trump saying "The war in Iraq was a big, fat mistake" and "They lied. They said there were weapons of mass destruction -- there were none. And they knew there were none."Flores Reena Republican debate: Donald Trump, Jeb Bush spar over Bush family legacy - CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/republican-debate-donald-trump-jeb-bush-spar-over-bush-family-legacy/ 21 April 2026 www.cbsnews.com 13 February 2016 Bush also took on Kasich on the subject of Medicaid. Cruz had exchanges with Trump over Planned Parenthood and other issues. Cruz also reiterated comments made by Rubio on Univision and when the latter claimed he could not speak Spanish, Cruz retorted using the language and demonstrating that he was bilingual.https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/14/politics/marco-rubio-ted-cruz-lies/ Marco Rubio accuses Ted Cruz of lying February 14, 2016 CNN Eric Bradner This was the ninth and final debate appearance of Bush, who suspended his campaign on February 20.O'Keefe Ed https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/jeb-bush-suspends-2016-campaign/2016/02/20/d3a7315a-d721-11e5-be55-2cc3c1e4b76b_story.html Jeb Bush suspends 2016 campaign The Washington Post February 20, 2016 February 20, 2016 February 25, 2016 – Houston, Texas After the caucus in Nevada, the tenth debate was held at the University of Houston in Houston and broadcast by CNN as its third of four debates, in conjunction with Telemundo. The debate aired five days before 14 states voted on Super Tuesday, March 1. While the debate was to be held in partnership with Telemundo's English-language counterpart NBC, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus announced on October 30, 2015, that it had suspended the partnership in response to CNBC's "bad faith" in handling the October 28, 2015, debate.Debate fallout: GOP suspends debate partnership with NBC https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/debate-fallout-gop-suspends-debate-partnership-with-nbc/article/2575337 October 30, 2015 Washington Examiner October 30, 2015https://www.newsweek.com/rnc-cancels-telemundo-debate-388815 RNC CANCELS ONLY DEBATE TO AIR ON SPANISH-LANGUAGE TV Newsweek.com January 14, 2016 October 30, 2015 On January 18, 2016, the RNC announced that CNN would replace NBC News as the main host of the debate, in partnership with Telemundo and Salem Communications (CNN's conservative media partner). The debate was shifted a day earlier at the same time.NBC replaced by CNN for GOP's Super Tuesday debate https://money.cnn.com/2016/01/18/media/gop-debate-nbc-news/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160121213247/http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/18/media/gop-debate-nbc-news dead January 21, 2016 CNN Money January 18, 2016 January 18, 2016 National Review was disinvited by the Republican National Committee from co-hosting the debate over its criticism of GOP front-runner Donald Trump.https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/01/22/national-review-kicked-out-of-gop-debate-after-anti-trump-stand/ National Review Kicked Out of GOP Debate After Anti-Trump Stand The Wall Street Journal January 22, 2016 On February 19, the criteria for invitation to the debate was announced: in addition to having official statements of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission and accepting the rules of the debate, candidates must have received at least 5% support in one of the first four election contests held in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada.https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/10/politics/wolf-blitzer-gop-debate-houston/ Eli Watkins CNN's Wolf Blitzer will moderate Republican debate in Houston CNN February 19, 2016 February 22, 2016 By these criteria, all five remaining candidates, Carson, Cruz, Kasich, Rubio, and Trump, qualified for invitation to the debate. This was the tenth and final debate appearance of Carson, who skipped the following debate on March 3, and dropped out of the race the following day.Jackson David Kelly Erin https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/04/ben-carson-republican-presidential-race/80047678/ Ben Carson drops out of GOP presidential race USA Today March 4, 2016 March 4, 2016 Rubio and Cruz both were considered winners, while Trump struggled. Both attacked Trump on illegal immigration, Israel, his business record, religious liberty, Planned Parenthood, and healthcare. Trump, after criticizing Rubio for repeating himself in the New Hampshire debate, promptly repeated himself several times when talking about healthcare, which Rubio quickly pointed out, leading to almost a minute of applause. Cruz also attacked Trump on his record of giving to Democrats as well as the polls, and attacked Rubio on illegal immigration and his vote to confirm John Kerry as secretary of state. March 3, 2016 – Detroit, Michigan The eleventh debate was held on March 3, 2016, at the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit, Michigan.Gold Hadas Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, Chris Wallace return for March 3 debate https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2016/02/bret-baier-megyn-kelly-chris-wallace-return-for-march-3-debate-218745 February 4, 2016 Politico February 4, 2016 It was the third debate to air on Fox News Channel.2016 presidential debate schedule: Dates, times, moderators and topics https://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/2016-presidential-debate-schedule-dates-times-moderators-channel-and-topics-213637 Politico September 15, 2015 January 19, 2016 Special Report anchor Bret Baier, The Kelly File anchor Megyn Kelly and Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace served as moderators.https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/04/gop-debate/79809432/ GOP debate headed to Detroit in March Detroit News February 4, 2016 It led into the Maine, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Idaho, and Hawaii contests. Fox announced that in order for candidates to qualify, they must have at least 3 percent support in the five most recent national polls by March 1 at 5pm.Feldman Josh Fox News Announces Criteria for Next Week's Big GOP Debate http://www.mediaite.com/online/fox-news-announces-criteria-for-next-weeks-big-gop-debate/ mediaite.com March 1, 2016 Ben Carson said on March 2 he would not be attending the debate.https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/us/politics/transcript-of-the-republican-presidential-debate-in-detroit.html?_r=0 Transcript of the Republican Presidential Debate in Detroit 3 March 2016 The New York Times 4 March 2016https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2016/mar/03/republican-presidential-debate-trump-rubio-cruz-fox-news-detroit-live Republican debate: candidates pledge to support Trump if needed – as it happened 3 March 2016 Guardian 4 March 2016 The debate drew controversy for an allusion Trump made to his penis in response to Rubio's comment about the size of his hands.https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/03/politics/donald-trump-small-hands-marco-rubio/ Donald Trump defends size of his penis Gregory Kreig CNN March 4, 2016 March 4, 2016https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/03/21/a-transcript-of-donald-trumps-meeting-with-the-washington-post-editorial-board/ A transcript of Donald Trump's meeting with The Washington Post editorial board Post Opinions Staff The Washington Post March 21, 2016 May 31, 2016ofL8fsd41mI Donald Trump Speaks to the Washington Post: A Dramatic Reenactment The Daily Show March 21, 2016 During the debate, Ted Cruz repeated his claim that Donald Trump supported Jimmy Carter and other Democrats for president.https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/donald-trump-jimmy-carter-1975/ Why Donald Trump supported Jimmy Carter for president. Follow the money. Daily Dot O'Neill Patrick Howell March 4, 2016 February 20, 2020 May 14, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190514084717/https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/donald-trump-jimmy-carter-1975/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christophermassie/cruz-claims-trump-supported-kerry-over-bush-in-04-theres-lit Cruz Claims Trump Supported Kerry Over Bush In '04 — There's Little Proof Of That. And some evidence to the contrary. Daily Buzz Massie Christopher Kaczynski Andrew McDermott Nathan Andrew Kaczynski March 3, 2016 February 20, 2020 February 12, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200212144439/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christophermassie/cruz-claims-trump-supported-kerry-over-bush-in-04-theres-lit When asked "So what would you do, as commander-in-chief, if the U.S. military refused to carry out those orders?", Trump responded "They won't refuse. They're not going to refuse me. Believe me."Part 3 of the Fox News GOP presidential debate in Detroit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uaujjp3JKGY&t=567s March 3, 2016 en Fox News YouTubeRyan Teague Beckwith Read the Full Transcript of the Eleventh Republican Debate https://time.com/4247496/republican-debate-transcript-eleventh-detroit-fox-news/ TIME.com en March 4, 2016 March 10, 2016 – Coral Gables, Florida The twelfth debate was the fourth and final debate to air on CNN and led into the Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri, and Ohio primaries on March 15. The candidates debated at the University of Miami's BankUnited Center arena, moderated by Jake Tapper and questioned by CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash, Salem Radio Network talk-show host Hugh Hewitt, and The Washington Times contributor Stephen Dinan. The Washington Times cohosted the debate. CNN partnering with the Washington Times for March 10 debate in Miami https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2016/01/20/cnn-partnering-with-the-washington-times-for-march-10-debate-in-miami/ The Washington Post January 20, 2016 February 13, 2016 0190-8286 en-US Erik Wemple The debate was originally scheduled considering the unlikelihood that a candidate would clinch the Republican nomination before March 15, due to the overall size of the field.CNN announces March debate in Florida https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2015/06/cnn-announces-march-debate-in-florida-208611 Politico June 10, 2015 January 18, 2016 On the day of the debate, CNN summarized the immediate stakes: "This debate comes just five days ahead of 'Super Tuesday 3', when more than 350 delegates are decided, including winner-take-all contests in Florida and Ohio. Both Trump and Rubio are predicting [a win in] Florida. For Trump, a win here would fuel his growing momentum and further grow his delegate lead; for Rubio, losing his home state could be the death knell for his campaign."https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/10/politics/republican-debate-what-to-watch/ Republican Debate in Miami: What to Watch CNN.com March 10, 2016 This was the twelfth and final debate appearance of Rubio, who suspended his campaign on March 15.Peters Jeremy Barbaro Michael https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/16/us/politics/marco-rubio.html?_r=0 Marco Rubio Suspends His Presidential Campaign The New York Times March 15, 2016 March 15, 2016 It was also the twelfth and final debate appearance of Cruz who suspended his campaign on May 3Flegenheimer Matt Ted Cruz Suspends His Campaign for President https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/us/politics/ted-cruz.html?_r=0 The New York Times 3 May 2016 and the twelfth and final debate appearance of Kasich who suspended his campaign on May 4.https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/04/politics/john-kasich-drops-out/index.html Sources: John Kasich to drop out Phil Mattingly David Mark Tom LoBianco CNN May 4, 2016 2016-05-04 Canceled debate March 21, 2016 – Salt Lake City, Utah A thirteenth debate was originally announced to take place at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah, airing on Fox News Channel, and moderated by Bret Baier, Chris Wallace, and Megyn Kelly to lead into the Arizona, Idaho, and Utah primaries. However, on March 16, 2016, Donald Trump announced that he would skip the debate because he was planning to give a "very major speech" at the AIPAC conference. He also said he had debated enough, with the same questions/answers. Additionally, Kasich stated that he would only participate in the debate if Trump were in attendance, while Rubio suspended his campaign on March 15 following his loss in the Florida primaries, leaving only Ted Cruz. As a result, the RNC and Fox News Channel announced that the debate had been cancelled due to the lack of participants, stating that "obviously, there needs to be more than one participant".Fox News Debate Is Canceled as Trump, Then Kasich, Withdraw https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/03/16/donald-trump-says-he-will-skip-mondays-gop-debate-in-utah/ 16 March 2016 The Wall Street Journal Dow Jones & CompanyFox debate canceled after Trump, Kasich back out https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/03/16/donald-trump-will-skip-upcoming-fox-debate-for-major-speech-before-jewish-group/ 16 March 2016 The Washington Post As most of the candidates were in Washington for the AIPAC conference, several news channels obtained interviews with the candidates, to air on the night of the cancelled debate instead. Both CNN and Fox News Channel aired interviews with the three remaining Republican candidates, while CNN also aired interviews with the two remaining Democratic candidates.CNN Has All 5 Presidential Candidates, in One Night https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/cnn-has-all-5-presidential-candidates-in-one-night/287749 TVNewser March 18, 2016 Adweek 26 March 2016 Forums Schedule + Forums among candidates for the 2016 Republican Party U.S. presidential nomination No. Date Time Place Host Participantsa *black #99ff99  P  Participant, main debate. black #ccffcc  S  Participant, secondary debate. black #5FC  I  Invitee, main debate. black #ff9999  N  Non-invitee. black #ffffdd  A  Absent invitee, main debate.black #ffffdd  AS  Absent invitee, secondary debate. grey #ececec  O  Out of race (withdrawn).BushCarsonChristieCruzFiorinaGilmoreGrahamHuckabeeJindalKasichPatakiPaulPerryRubioSantorumTrumpWalker 1b † August 3, 2015  5 p.m. EDTSt. Anselm CollegeGoffstown, NHC-SPANPPPPPNPAPPPPPPPAP 2b † November 20, 2015  6:30 p.m. CST CCCU Conv. Ctr.Des Moines, IAFamily LeaderAPAPPAAPOAAPOPPAO 3b † December 3, 2015  9 a.m. EST Reagan BuildingWashington, D.C.Rep. JewishCoalitionPPPPPPPPOPPAOPPPO 4b † January 9, 2016  9 a.m. EST Convention CenterColumbia, SCJack Kemp FoundationPPPAAAOPOPOAOPAAO 5b † Feb. 17–18, 2016  8 p.m. EST Greenville, SCColumbia, SCCNNPPOPOOOOOPOOOPOPO 6b † February 24, 2016  8 p.m. CST Queensbury TheatreHouston, TXFox NewsOPOPOOOOOPOOOPOAO 7b † March 9, 2016  7 p.m. EST Fayetteville, NCRaleigh, NCChicago, ILHialeah, FLFox NewsOOOPOOOOOPOOOPOPO 8b † March 21, 2016  8 p.m. EST CNN DC BureauWashington, D.C.CNNOOOPOOOOOPOOOOOPO 9b † March 29, 2016  8 p.m. EST Riverside TheaterMilwaukee, WICNNOOOPOOOOOPOOOOOPO†bA forum in which candidates speak one at a time with no direct challenges, rather than a debate. Forums are not sanctioned by the RNC; although an RNC rule makes a candidate who participates in a nonsanctioned debate ineligible to participate in a sanctioned one, participation in a forum does not affect a candidate's eligibility to participate in sanctioned debates.https://www.nationaljournal.com/2016-elections/newspaper-to-host-competing-debate-for-b-list-candidates-20150610 Fox Plans Second-Tier Debate in Response to Threat from N.H. Newspaper National JournalAssociated Press Republican presidential hopefuls face off in pre-debate forum in N.H. https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/08/republican_presidential_hopefuls_face_off_in_pre-d.html NJ.com August 3, 2015 August 3, 2015*aParticipating in at least one debate listed above:   Former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida Neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson of Maryland Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas Former CEO Carly Fiorina of California Former Gov. Jim Gilmore of Virginia Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina Former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana Gov. John Kasich of Ohio Former Gov. George Pataki of New York Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky Former Gov. Rick Perry of Texas Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania Businessman Donald Trump of New York Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin Forum 1 USA 400 Sites of the 2016 Republican primary forums. Map of United States showing Republican primary forum locations. USA C-SPANGoffstown 75 bottom 43.020278 -71.600278 USA Family LeaderDes Moines 75 bottom 41.590833 -93.620833 USA RJCWashington 75 left 38.904722 -77.016389 USA JKF, CNNColumbia 75 right 34.000556 -81.034722 USA CNNGreenville 75 left 34.844444 -82.385556 USA FOXHouston 75 top 29.718922 -95.339162 USA CNNMilwaukee 75 top 43.052222 -87.955833 August 3, 2015 – Goffstown, New Hampshire The 2016 Voters First Presidential Forum moderator was Jack Heath of WGIR radio, who asked questions of each of the participating candidates based on a random draw. Candidates each had three opportunities to speak: two rounds of questions, and a closing statement.https://money.cnn.com/2015/08/03/media/new-hampshire-republican-debate/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150806015737/http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/03/media/new-hampshire-republican-debate/index.html dead August 6, 2015 Republican forum begins Monday without Donald Trump Brian Stelter August 3, 2015 CNNMoney Topics of discussion during the forum were partially selected based on the results of an online voter survey.http://UnionLeader.com/votersfirst Voters First Forum Topics On Monday, August 3, candidates ... will be broadcast live on C-SPAN at 7 p.m. Topics for the forum will be determined by you, the voters. Please choose the top five topics you would like to see discussed. ...from these [five] identical drop-down lists: Iran nuclear deal, Homeland Security (Terrorism), Defense, International Trade, Immigration, Russia, Climate change, Crime, Drugs/heroin, Death penalty, Euthanasia, U.S. debt/deficit, Taxes, Economy and jobs, Campaign spending Reform, Social Security, Medicare, Healthcare/Obamacare, Gay marriage, Religious freedom, Privacy/surveillance, Education/Common Core, Abortion, 1st Amendment, 2nd Amendment, Race. The facilities were provided by the New Hampshire Institute of Politics and Political Library of St. Anselm College. The forum was organized in responsehttp://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150729/NEWS060501/150729077 July 29, 2015 New Hampshire Union Leader Trump tells Union Leader: No endorsement, no show March 1, 2022 October 20, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181020034100/http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20150729%2FNEWS060501%2F150729077 dead to the top-ten invitation limitations placed by Fox News and CNN on their first televised debates (see descriptions below). Eleven of the candidates were present in person; Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio participated in the forum via satellite to avoid missing a vote.https://news.yahoo.com/senate-roll-vote-planned-parenthood-231725304.html Senate roll vote on Planned Parenthood August 3, 2015 Associated Press September 24, 2015 Three major Republican candidates who did not participate were Donald Trump (who chose not to attend), Jim Gilmore (who missed the cutoff deadline)http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150802/NEWS060501/150809949/1037/70 Voters First Forum levels the playing field August 1, 2015 August 3, 2015 New Hampshire Union-Leader Paul Feely September 25, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150925121234/http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20150802%2FNEWS060501%2F150809949%2F1037%2F70 dead and Mike Huckabee (who was invited, but did not respond). Mark Everson did not receive an invitation, albeit after a "serious look".https://www.yahoo.com/politics/new-hampshire-thumbs-its-nose-at-fox-news-over-125381639521.html New Hampshire thumbs its nose at Fox News over presidential debates Ward Jon July 29, 2015 The Union Leader considered allowing Mark Everson, the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service from 2003 to 2007, to take part. Everson announced his candidacy in March. "We had discussions with Mark Everson about whether or not he would qualify. We didn't want to do what Fox did, which was cut the field arbitrarily," Spiner said. "We took a serious look to see if we were missing something here, and we decided we weren't." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/05/mark-everson-republican-presidential-candidate-polling-debates Who is Mark Everson? Why, he's the 18th Republican candidate, of course Ben Jacobs the Guardian August 5, 2015 The Voters First forum was broadcast nationallyhttp://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150715/NEWS060501/150719512 Outfoxed: Voters Forum to be first for GOP New Hampshire Union Leader July 14, 2015 August 3, 2015 March 4, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095338/http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20150715%2FNEWS060501%2F150719512 dead by C-SPANhttp://www.c-span.org/video/?111549-1/radio-2016-republican-candidates-voters-first-forum Radio 2016 Republican Candidates Voters First C-SPAN as the originating source media entity, beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT and lastingAugust 2015 from 7 to 9p.m. The event was also simulcast and/or co-sponsored by television stations KCRG-TV in Iowa, New England Cable News in the northeast, WBIN-TV in New Hampshire,http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150723/NEWS060501/150729542 UPDATED: Bush, Walker, Paul in, Trump out of Voters First forum New Hampshire Union Leader July 24, 2015 December 22, 2021 October 20, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181020034111/http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20150723%2FNEWS060501%2F150729542 dead WLTX-TV in South Carolina, radio stations New Hampshire Public Radio, WGIR in New Hampshire, iHeartRadio on the internet (C-SPAN is also offering an online version of the broadcast), and newspapers the Cedar Rapids Gazette in Iowa, the Union Leader in New Hampshire, and the Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. There was a live audience, with tickets to the event awarded via a lottery. Forum 2 November 20, 2015 – Des Moines, Iowa The Presidential Family Forum was held in the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Rick Santorum attended the forum hosted by evangelical Christian advocacy group The Family Leader. It was hosted by politician and political activist Bob Vander Plaats and moderated by political consultant and pollster Frank Luntz. Presidential candidates display faith, fire https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2015/11/21/presidential-candidates-display-faith-fire-at-presidential-family-forum/76059272/ Des Moines Register December 2, 2015 Protesters interrupted the beginning of the event and were removed by police. Republican Candidates Talk Religion, Security at Iowa Forum https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/republican-candidates-talk-religion-security-iowa-forum-35339469 ABC News December 2, 2015 Forum 3 December 3, 2015 – Washington, D.C. The Republican Jewish Coalition Presidential Candidates Forum was held in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center by the lobbyist group Republican Jewish Coalition. Republican Jewish Coalition forum: 6 takeaways - CNNPolitics.com https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/03/politics/republican-jewish-coalition-trump-carson-cruz-rubio-takeaways/index.html CNN December 9, 2015 All candidates except Rand Paul attended the eight-hour-long forum. RJC Presidential Candidates Forum http://www.rjchq.org/rjc_presidential_candidates_forum Republican Jewish Coalition December 9, 2015 November 16, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151116025125/http://www.rjchq.org/rjc_presidential_candidates_forum dead Forum 4 January 9, 2016 – Columbia, South Carolina The Kemp Forum was held in the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center by the Jack Kemp Foundation. Bush, Carson, Christie, Huckabee, Kasich, and Rubio attended. Fiorina was scheduled to attend the forum, but missed her flight. Republican Candidates, Minus Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, Play Nice at Poverty Forum https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/us/politics/republican-candidates-minus-donald-trump-and-ted-cruz-play-nice-at-poverty-forum.html The New York Times January 9, 2016 January 20, 2016 0362-4331 Ashley Parker The forum was moderated by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senator Tim Scott. GOP forum will focus on issues, not 'drama' http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160105/PC1002/160109705/1023/a-gop-forum-to-focus-on-issues-not-x2018-drama-x2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20160126032420/http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160105/PC1002/160109705/1023/a-gop-forum-to-focus-on-issues-not-x2018-drama-x2019 dead January 26, 2016 Post and Courier January 14, 2016 In Kemp Forum on Poverty, a Broader GOP Outreach to Voters https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/01/12/in-kemp-forum-on-poverty-a-broader-gop-outreach-to-voters/ WSJ Blogs - Washington Wire January 12, 2016 January 14, 2016 Forum 5 February 1718, 2016 – Greenville/Columbia, South Carolina The CNN Republican town halls were held in Greenville, South Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina.https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/13/politics/cnn-republican-town-halls-south-carolina/index.html CNN announces back-to-back GOP town halls Gregory Krieg February 13, 2016 CNN Forum 6 February 24, 2016 – Houston, Texas Megyn Kelly hosted a two-hour town hall event on the Kelly File with Kasich, Cruz, Rubio, and Carson in attendance. Trump did not participate in the forum.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/22/inside-the-beltway-donald-trump-wont-participated-/ Inside the Beltway: Donald Trump won't participate in Megyn Kelly's Fox News candidate forum The Washington Times 2016-03-04 Forum 7 March 29, 2016 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin CNN hosted a town hall moderated by Anderson Cooper airing from 8 to 11pm EST. The three remaining candidates, Trump, Cruz, and Kasich, all participated in the town hall.https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/25/politics/cnn-republican-town-hall-milwaukee/index.html CNN announces Republican Town Hall in Milwaukee Tom LoBianco cnn.com March 25, 2016 April 4, 2018 See also 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries 2016 Republican Party presidential candidates 2016 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums 2016 Green Party presidential debates and forums 2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums 2016 United States presidential debates References 25em External links Video of August 3, 2015, forum in Goffstown, New Hampshire Video of August 6, 2015, debate in Cleveland, Ohio Video of September 16, 2015, debate in Simi Valley, California Video of October 28, 2015, debate in Boulder, Colorado Video of November 10, 2015, debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Video of November 20, 2015 forum in Des Moines, Iowa Video of December 3, 2015, forum in Washington, D.C. Video of December 15, 2015, debate in Las Vegas, Nevada Video of January 14, 2016, debate in North Charleston, South Carolina Video of January 28, 2016, debate in Des Moines, Iowa Video of February 6, 2016 debate in Goffstown, New Hampshire Video of February 13, 2016, debate in Greenville, South Carolina Video of February 25, 2016, debate in Houston, Texas Video of March 3, 2016, debate in Detroit, Michigan Video of March 10, 2016, debate in Miami, Florida Category:2016 United States presidential debates 2016 Category:2015 in American television Category:2016 in American television