It has been over a month since the Republicans had their debate, and now they will have another round that will be the last of 2015. This time, it will be on CNN instead of Fox Business News, and while certain candidates like Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush are assured to make the first tier main stage, some are still on the fence on whether they will make the second tier. This is what we know on what candidates will make the cut, and the time and live stream for the Republican debate, and the possibility of a brokered convention.
According to WBUR, CNN will divide Tuesday night's debate into two tiers, and it is using certain polls to set the thresholds for the inclusion in each. For the first time, this will include some state-level polls from Iowa to New Hampshire in its calculations.
That leaves five candidates that will make the main stage based solely on their national numbers which include Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Macro Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Jeb Bush. Since CNN is including state polls, Carly Fiorina, John Kasich, and Chris Christie will be joining the top five, based solely on support in New Hampshire.
As for the second tier debate, it only requires just 1 percent on any four qualifying polls done nationally or in either of the two states of Iowa and New Hampshire. So far, five candidates have cleared those thresholds which include Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham, and George Pataki.
This could change as the polls will close this Sunday at 5 PM, which means that Rand Paul could make it to the main stage. It is possible that Carly Fiorina could be downgraded as well.
A recent report from CNN shows that Top Republican Party officials have discussed the possibility of a brokered convention, which means that the GOP nominating contest could be protracted well into the summer. A brokered convention occurs when no candidate gets enough of the delegates to secure the nomination on the first vote tally.
A brokered convention is something that hasn't been done in decades, and a source within the Republican Party says that "it was not aimed at anyone", as it was suspected that this new organization of the GOP could be a way to elbow Trump out of the nominating contest. It is possible that the brokered convention was something that won't happen, just a topic that came up at a Republican party dinner.
The Fifth and last 2015 Republican debate will take place at the Venetian in Las Vegas on CNN at 6:00 PM ET and 8:30 ET on Tuesday, December 15th, and will be moderated by Wolf Blitzer. The CNN Facebook Republican Primary Debate can be streamed online from the CNN home page on the night of the debate, and users of CNN mobile apps can watch it on their smartphone or tablet as well.
The next presidential debate will be the Democratic debate on Saturday, December 19th, which will be live streamed free by ABC News. After a small break from the holidays, Fox Business Network will host its second Republican debate on Thursday, January 14 at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, South Carolina, two days after President Barrack Obama's last State of the Union address.
