The traditionally large Republican presidential field, which peaked at 17 in August, is shrinking fast as some presidential hopefuls have dropped out in the wake of the Iowa caucus. Now, ABC News announced their line-up for the upcoming Republican presidential debate on Feb. 6 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Here's what is currently known about the next 2016 GOP Debate TV schedule, start time and how to watch online.
ABC News network extended invitations for the Saturday night's GOP debate on certain candidates like former Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Ted Cruz. The debate is set to happen three days before the New Hampshire primary, so it is expected that candidates will give their best in the discussions.
At the recent Iowa caucus, Sen. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and Sen. Marco Rubio got the top three positions, putting them at the center of the Republican presidential nomination. It also prompted their rivals to concede in the race.
On Wednesday, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul dropped out in the 2016 presidential campaign. Paul, son of former presidential candidate Ron Paul, failed to win the support of Republican voters. He only got 5 percent of the vote in Iowa, which is worse than 21.5 percent of his father way back in 2012.
Also, the former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina has been excluded from Saturday's Republican debate. She scored low in national and state-level polls, prompting ABC News to omit her in the upcoming GOP debate. In an open letter, she appealed to the Republican National Committee that the debate process is "broken" and urged the RNC to intervene on her behalf.
It is interesting to note that for the first time in the Republican debate history the party would not have "undercard debates." ABC News revealed that they would not hold debate for the bottom tier candidates. The change is brought by the network's set of criteria for candidates.
Candidates received an invitation in ABC-sponsored New Hampshire debate if they:
- Ranked among the top three finishers in the Iowa caucuses
- Placed among the top six in an average of national polls
- Included among the top six in an average of New Hampshire polls
ABC News anchors David Muir and Martha Raddatz will be hosting the debate. In addition, WMUR Political Director Josh McElveen will join the discussions.
Here are the facts that you need to know about the Feb. 6 GOP debate:
Location: St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire
Start Time: 5 PM Pacific Time, 8 PM Eastern Time
Date: Feb 6, 2016
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ABC GO
