Huckabee, Jindal And Graham Are Still On Board With GOP Debate Letter

Republican presidential candidates, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., appear during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Wed... Republican presidential candidates, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., appear during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) MORE LESS
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Despite a few candidates’ decisions to drop out of the GOP effort to change the format of upcoming presidential debates, some campaigns will still commit to the list of demands for networks drafted earlier this week.

The campaigns for Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) confirmed to The Hill that their candidates will sign the letter.

“Our issue is not the letter,” Jindal spokeswoman Gail Gitcho told The Hill. “Our issue continues to be that the Party and the networks continue to try and winnow out candidates before the voters have a chance to weigh in. No matter who you are for, or what side you are on, that’s just wrong.”

After Donald Trump, as well as Ohio Gov. John Kasich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina said they would not sign their names to the letter, the effort to change the debate formats appeared to be in limbo. But Ben Carson, who spearheaded the effort, along with a handful of candidates lower in the polls are hanging on to their chance to change the debates.

Representatives from numerous campaigns met on Sunday to air grievances about previous debates and propose changes to upcoming forums. The candidates came up with a long list of demands for networks hosting the debates, asking moderators not to allow candidate-to-candidate or “gotcha” questions.

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Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for dnl dnl says:

    3 dolts trying to appear relative in a race to the ‘always out of reach bottom of the barrel’…

  2. Still appropriate

    When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose
    You’re invisible now, you’ve got no secrets to conceal

    How does it feel, ah how does it feel?
    To be on your own, with no direction home
    Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone

  3. Tactically, the disaffected should have issued a 3 or 4-point list of viable recommendations to address the real issue of too many candidates and the unevenness of their debate exposure. The long laundry list of petty demands invites mockery. Once again, the GOP over-reached into the realm of the absurd.

  4. It would be refreshing to have a non-crowded debate. Without trump, carson, huckabee, jindal, and graham, the others would have more of a chance to make a move, and the no-shows would have only themselves to blame. where are cruz and rubio on this?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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