Fox News Caps First Republican Debate at 10 Candidates

May 20, 2015

Fox News, host of the first Republican debate of the 2016 presidential campaign, announced today a limit of 10 participants in that debate, the Washington Post reports. 

The debate is scheduled for August 6, in Cleveland, which is also the host city for the Republican Convention next July.

To qualify, candidates must have filed and declared their candidacy and place in the top ten of an average of the five most recent national polls as of early August. The specific qualifying polls will be determined by Fox News.

270toWin is following the Republican primary polls and, as it happens, we also have a polling average based on the five most recent polls. While the debate is obviously a ways off, the top ten currently are:

1. Bush  
2. Walker
3. Rubio*
4. Paul*
5. Carson*
6. Huckabee*
7. Cruz*
8. Christie
9. Trump
10. Kasich

Asterisked names have declared their candidacy. Trump and Kasich were not included in all five recent surveys. Perry just missed the cut-off, with Santorum, Jindal, Fiorina* and Graham also not currently in the top ten.