June 10, 2015

Mr. Roger Ailes, President
Fox News Channel
1211 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10036

Mr. Reince Priebus, Chairman
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

Dear Mr. Ailes and Chairman Priebus,

We are writing to express concern over the recent announcement by Fox News to limit the number of Republican candidates to ten individuals in the first televised presidential debate on August 6, 2015. We urge you to reconsider the criteria and to design a debate that will allow voters to hear from a more diverse and inclusive group of candidates who have filed to run for president.

As you know, the First in the Nation New Hampshire Primary plays a pivotal role in selecting our nominees for president. Historically, it has been the responsibility of early primary and caucus states to closely examine and winnow the field of candidates, and it is not in the electorate’s interest to have TV debate criteria supplant this solemn duty. To do so would undermine the very nature of our process and the valuable service that states like New Hampshire provide to voters across the country.

It is understandable that a large field presents logistical and broadcast challenges, and that Fox News is seeking to provide a forum in which candidates can be provided enough time to substantively communicate on the issues. However, the proposed limitations are unnecessarily narrow and risk eliminating potentially viable candidates based on unreliable national polling that is rarely predictive of primary election outcomes. Any metric used to select the top ten candidates based on public polling this early in the nominating process would make it impossible to ensure fairness. Indeed, the margin between the tenth candidate and those that don’t qualify will almost certainly be statistically insignificant.

What is more, denying candidates an opportunity to showcase their talents and experience in the first televised debate would artificially distort the political process, stifle democracy and competition, and induce voters to consider only those candidates pre-selected by virtue of their name ID rather than their potential as candidates. The first televised debate of the 2016 election cycle should place all candidates on even footing and allow each to make their case directly to the voters and your viewers. Anything less would prematurely suppress the candidate field, and arbitrarily elevate candidates who benefit from preliminary notoriety and fundraising.

It is our firm view that Fox News should consider new criteria that would, for example:

• Divide the debate into two panels to appear back-to-back, either on the same night or consecutive nights;

• From the top six candidates in public polls, randomly draw three to appear during the first session and three to appear in the second session;

• Randomly draw the remaining candidates and split them evenly between the two panels.

The field of Republican candidates is perhaps the deepest we’ve seen in history. It should be embraced as a positive sign of civic engagement and political leadership for the nation.

The New Hampshire Primary, as well as the contests in Iowa, South Carolina, and Nevada, exists to afford every candidate – regardless of money and polling – a level playing field and the opportunity to personally share their message and experience with as many voters as possible. At times, the New Hampshire Primary has proven both difficult and resuscitative for front-runners, and instructive and stimulating for fledgling candidacies. This is not only appropriate, but also necessary to ensure that the Republican Party ultimately selects the best nominee possible.

We strongly encourage you to revise your criteria and present a format for your debate that embraces these principles, and puts voters’ interests first.

Sincerely,

Hon. Craig Benson Former Governor Hon. Chris Sununu Executive Councilor Hon. Jeb Bradley Senate Majority Leader Hon. Sharon Carson State Senator Hon. Russell Prescott State Senator Hon. Andy Sanborn State Senator Hon. Gene Chandler Former Speaker of the House Hon. Will Infantine State Representative Hon. Laurie Sanborn State Representative Hon. Franklin W. Sterling, Jr. State Representative Peter Angerhofer Former State Senate Candidate Rich Ashooh Former Congressional Candidate Beverly Bruce Former RNC Delegate Paul Chevalier Former Alternate RNC Delegate Hon. Chuck Douglas Former Member of Congress Hon. Tom Eaton Former Senate President Alan Glassman Belknap County Republican Chair Sheriff Scott Hilliard Former RNC Delegate Dan Innis NH Republican Party Finance Chair Jane Lane NH Republican Party Secretary Jim MacEachern Derry Republican Committee Chair Shannon McGinley Conservative Activist Hon. Bob Odell Former State Senator Hon. Doug Scamman Former Speaker of the House Gene Schneider Republican Party Organizer James Sununu Republican Activist Robb Thomson Former RNC Delegate Hon. Ray Wieczorek Former Executive Councilor and Mayor of Manchester

Hon. Stephen Merrill Former Governor Hon. Chuck Morse Senate President Hon. Regina Birdsell State Senator Hon. Jerry Little State Senator Hon. John Reagan State Senator Hon. Nancy Stiles State Senator Hon. David Hess State Representative Hon. Harold B. Parker State Representative Hon. Adam Schroadter State Representative Hon. Ken Merrifield Mayor of Franklin Charlie Arlinghaus Former RNC Regional Political Director Hon. Bill Bartlett Jr. Former State Senate President Jamie Burnett Republican Activist Fergus Cullen Former NH Republican Party Chair Hon. Ed Dupont Former Senate President Hon. Marilinda Garcia Former Congressional Candidate Hon. Ruth Griffin Former Executive Councilor Michele Holton Republican Party Organizer Ovide Lamontagne Former Republican Gubernatorial Nominee John Lyons Former Alternate RNC Delegate Wayne McDonald Former NH Republican Party Chair Jayne Millerick Former NH Republican Party Chair Renee Plummer Former RNC Delegate Hon. Stella Scamman Former State Representative John Stabile Former NH Republican Party Chair Hon. Donna Sytek Former Speaker of the House Tom Thomson Conservative Activist Christopher Wolfe Former RNC Delegate