White House hopeful Ben Carson is calling on the Republican National Committee to allow all “qualified” candidates to take part in upcoming debates despite their standings in the polls.
Carson sent the letter to RNC Chairman Reince Priebus as the party finishes up its spring meetings in Phoenix. Media reports from the event suggest the party may either cap the number of candidates allowed in debates or restrict the list to those who reach a certain threshold at the polls.
{mosads}“Limiting participation of qualified candidates on this reasoning, I believe, does our party a tremendous disservice,” Carson said in his email, which was released by his campaign
He specifically cited himself and Carly Fiorina as two candidates that could see themselves at odds with debate gatekeepers.
“I am particularly concerned with widespread speculation that my respected and well-qualified colleague, Ms. Carly Fiorina, may fall victim to those who want to limit debate participation to the more ‘popular’ candidates, and I am serving notice herein, that I could not support such a decision,” he wrote.
“While I respect the authority of the RNC to sponsor and regulate the debates, I firmly believe in the value and necessity of allowing the diverse voices of our party to be represented and demonstrated for the benefit of the American public’s awareness and information.”
Carson and Fiorina are the only two members of the likely GOP presidential field that have never served in elected office. But Carson has had a leg up in the polls when compared to Fiorina. A Fox News poll this week found him tied with former Gov. Jeb Bush (Fla.) for first in a national Republican poll with 13 percent. Fiorina scored just one percent of voters in that poll.