Fox News Republican debate (August 6, 2015)

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Last updated on October 28, 2022

September 16, 2015 debate

By Charles Aull
This article focuses exclusively on the first Republican debate hosted by Fox News on August 6, 2015. Click here to access Ballotpedia's full 2015-2016 presidential debate coverage. A schedule for Republican primary debates can be found below.

Ballotpedia's coverage of the first Republican debate on August 6, 2015, includes an overview of the event's basic information, a summary, the results of our Insiders Poll and post-debate commentary written by Karlyn Bowman (American Enterprise Institute), David Kusnet (Podesta Group) and James A. Barnes (Ballotpedia). Fox News held a forum on the same day for candidates unable to meet the criteria for the debate. Basic information and a summary of this event can also be found below. Ballotpedia's Insiders Poll and commentary, however, are limited to the 9:00 pm debate.

# Basic Information[edit]

Date: August 6, 2015
Time: 9:00 - 10:30 pm EDT
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena
Sponsors: Fox News and Facebook
Moderators: Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace
Rules for inclusion: In May 2015, Fox announced in a press release its entry criteria for the debate. The release stated that qualified candidates must have met all constitutional requirements, register a formal campaign, file all necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and pay all necessary federal and state filing fees. Fox also stated that it planned to permit a total of only 10 candidates. But many observers found the network's exact criteria for determining those ten candidates to be unclear.[1] The press release stated that candidates "[m]ust place in the top 10 of an average of the five most recent national polls, as recognized by FOX News leading up to August 4th at 5 PM/ET. Such polling must be conducted by major, nationally recognized organizations that use standard methodological techniques."[2] Leading up to the August 4 deadline, however, Fox did not specify which polls they intended to use, how they would determine the averages or how they would resolve ties. In May 2015, Michael Clemente, Fox's executive vice president, told The Columbus Dispatch that the polls would be "national telephone polls that use standard methodological techniques, and partisan polls will be excluded."[3]

Fox announced the ten debate participants on August 4, 2015, shortly after 6:00 pm EDT. It also revealed that the five polls that it averaged to determine the participants were Bloomberg, CBS News, Fox News, Monmouth and Quinnipiac.[4] A full explanation of Fox's methodology written by the Fox News Decision Desk staff can be read here. The network invited the candidates who did not place in the top ten to participate in a candidate forum that took place on the same day as the debate at 5:00 pm EDT.[5][6]

#### Participants[edit]

* Trump

* Bush

* Walker

* Huckabee

* Carson

* Cruz

* Rubio

* Paul

* Christie

* Kasich

Participant projections leading up to August 4, 2015

Click [show] to see participant projections leading up to August 4, 2015

Washington Post: August 2, 2015[7]

* Trump 19.8%

* Walker 13.2%

* Bush 12.8%

* Carson 6.4%

* Paul 6.4%

* Rubio 6.2%

* Cruz 5.8%

* Huckabee 5.8%

* Christie 3.2%

* Kasich 3.2%

Washington Post: July 30, 2015[8]

* Trump 19.4%

* Bush 13%

* Walker 11.7%

* Rubio 6.2%

* Paul 5.6%

* Huckabee 5.3%

* Carson 5.2%

* Cruz 5.1%

* Christie 3.3%

* Kasich 2.7%

New York Times: July 29, 2015[9]

* Trump 18%

* Bush 14%

* Walker 10.6%

* Rubio 6.4%

* Paul 6.0%

* Cruz 5.8%

* Huckabee 5.6%

* Carson 5.2%

* Christie 3.0%

* Rick Perry 2.2%

Five Thirty Eight: July 17, 2015[10]

* Bush 15.4%

* Trump 14.2%

* Walker 9%

* Paul 6.8%

* Carson 6.6%

* Rubio 6.4%

* Huckabee 5.8%

* Cruz 5.2%

* Christie 2.6%

* Rick Santorum 2.2

# Summary[edit]

#### August 6, 2015[edit]

By Charles Aull
Tonight marked the first major Republican presidential debate of the 2016 election cycle. Of the seventeen major candidates running for president, 10 took to the stage at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, the same city and arena that will host the Republican National Convention in less than a year from now. The debate was sponsored by Fox News and Facebook. It took place from 9:00 to 11:00 pm EDT. Fox held another forum for the other seven GOP candidates from 5:00 to 6:00 EDT.

Fox set the rules for participation. Participants needed to meet all constitutional requirements, to register a formal campaign, to file all necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), to pay all necessary federal and state filing fees and to “place in the top 10 of an average of the five most recent national polls, as recognized by FOX News leading up to August 4th at 5 PM/ET.” Though not made public prior to the August 4 deadline, the polls that Fox used were Bloomberg, CBS News, Fox News, Monmouth and Quinnipiac. Fox announced the ten candidates who met these requirements on August 4, 2015, shortly after 5:00 pm EDT. These candidates were Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Chris Christie and John Kasich.

Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace moderated the debate. The rules for the event permitted candidates to deliver one-minute responses to questions and to give thirty-second rebuttals to comments made by other candidates. There was the occasional deviation from these rules, as some candidates engaged directly with one another in back-and-forth responses. Chris Christie and Rand Paul, for example, momentarily debated NSA reform and the threat of terrorism. Unlike in some debate formats, the audience was not prohibited from applauding, cheering or booing.

Questions came from the three moderators and Facebook users. Wallace stated that over 40,000 Facebook users submitted questions. The moderators featured several of them throughout the course of the debate. Questions touched on a number of different topics, including healthcare, immigration, the Iran nuclear deal, ISIS, abortion, the military and the economy. A number of questions were tailored toward specific candidates. Kelly, for instance, asked Ben Carson to address statements that he had made on foreign policy. Another example was when Wallace asked Cruz to respond to criticisms of his professional relationship with other members of Congress.

The first question of the night departed from the standard debate format. Bret Baier asked candidates to raise their hand if they were unwilling to pledge not to run as a third party candidate, should they fail to get the Republican nomination. Donald Trump was the only candidate to raise his hand.

The night ended with brief thirty-second closing statements. Candidates did not deliver opening remarks.

The order in which candidates stood on stage reflected the candidates’ rankings in the polls that Fox used to determine participation in the forum. Trump and Bush occupied the center two positions. On their flanks were Walker and Huckabee, then Carson and Cruz, then Rubio and Paul. Christie and Kasich were on the far-left and far-right respectively.

A written transcript, annotated by The Washington Post, can be found here.

# Ballotpedia's Insiders Poll[edit]

#### August 7, 2015[edit]

By James A. Barnes

#### Part I: Who was the biggest winner?[edit]

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio won the nod from Republican Party insiders as the winner of the first GOP presidential debate held in Cleveland on Thursday night. In an online survey conducted by Ballotpedia at the debate’s conclusion, 106 Republican operatives, strategists and party activists from around the country weighed in and 29 percent said that they thought Rubio was the "biggest winner" in the ten candidate melee held in the Quicken Loans Arena, where Republicans will formally nominate their 2016 standard bearer next July. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, were tightly bunched vying for the evening’s runner-up award.

Who was the biggest winner? - Republican Responses

Rubio was "in command of subject matter" and "good on his feet," observed one GOP insider. Another added that Rubio offered, “strong, informed, thoughtful, unifying comments.” And a third GOP operative said, "Rubio was smart, sharp, strong, without being strident." The survey was conducted anonymously in order to encourage candor from the party influentials.

But nearly as impressive as Rubio’s performance were the showings by Kasich and Christie, the final two candidates to make the cut-off for participating in the debate, which FOX determined by averaging the candidates’ standings in national polls of Republican preferences for their party’s presidential nomination. "Kasich got national exposure for the first time in his campaign, sounded confident and reasonable," said one GOP operative. Another ascertained that Kasich "broke through with focused, clear messaging." And being the hometown favorite, perhaps it’s not surprising that Kasich "connected to audience best," in the view of another Insider. In one of the debate’s more heated exchanges, Christie, a former federal prosecutor who was generally composed throughout the evening, forcefully rebutted Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on the need for telephone surveillance in order to track potential terrorists. And as one GOP insider put it, "In our party, national security and fighting terrorism still trumps privacy concerns."

Bush turned in a balanced performance and "came across as a governing conservative," as one Republican insider described him." Another said, "Bush looked like a president." But others thought the former Florida governor was underwhelming. Bush "was really flat," observed a GOP operative. "He needed to be great and failed to stand out." Another simply said, "He’s boring." As the favorite of many in the Republican establishment, Bush would be expected to score better among party insiders, but he did not stand out in this debate. When the Republican influentials and influencers were asked which candidates helped or hurt themselves in the debate, just over half said Bush had helped himself. But that showing was a fourth to Kasich, Rubio and Christie: more than 70 percent of the GOP insiders said each one of them had helped their cause in this debate.

Who helped or hurt themselves in the debate? - Republican Responses

#### Part II: Who was the biggest loser?[edit]

About halfway through the evening, the candidate who has led in the polls, businessman Donald Trump, gestured towards the three FOX debate questioners, looked out into the audience in the Quicken Loans Arena and said, "I don’t think they like me very much." Perhaps, but Republican insiders were even more biting in their assessment of Trump’s debate performance. Almost half, 49%, said they thought Trump was the "biggest loser" of the debate. And they were unstinting in their criticism. "Too much anger, too many non sequiturs," said one GOP insider. "Peevish, scowling, thin skinned, shallow," said another. "Bombastic, offensive and arrogant," echoed a third.

Several of the GOP professionals were put off by Trump’s declaration at the start of the debate that he couldn’t rule out an independent run for the presidency if he didn’t win the party’s nomination. "He alienated people on the very first question," said a party operative. "He showed this is all about him. He is more concerned about himself than our party or beating Clinton." Another GOP insider predicted, "He would lose a general election by 50 points."

Who was the biggest loser? - Republican Responses

The other candidate who got bad reviews was Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, whose libertarian stance on civil liberties and heterodox views on foreign policy seemed to separate himself from the GOP rank-and-file. Roughly one-quarter of the GOP insiders said that he was the "biggest loser" of the night. "He is on a lonely island floating away," joked one GOP influential. "Paul needed to halt his drop, but if anything he accelerated it," another party insider predicted. If either Trump or Paul is to succeed in the primaries or caucuses, it will be as an insurgent candidate, which befits their style, but wins few fans among the party establishment. "Trump and Paul both demonstrated why neither will ever be president," said one GOP insider. "The former cannot play team ball and the latter is just out of step with mainstream Republicans."

#### Part III: "We want Carly"[edit]

The biggest winner of the Cleveland debates may not have even been on the stage in prime time on Thursday night. Former businesswoman Carly Fiorina delivered a standout performance in the so-called "happy hour" debate of the seven GOP White House hopefuls who didn’t make the cut for the 10-candidate championship bout. When asked which candidate they would like to have seen in the prime time encounter, an overwhelming 80% of the GOP insiders picked Fiorina. Texas Gov. Rick Perry came in distant second on this, garnering 9% support from the Republican operatives.

Which candidate would you like to have seen in the prime time debate? - Republican Responses

"Carly Fiorina was so dominant in the first debate she is the big winner the whole night," gushed one Republican strategist. "Thought Carly Fiorina was the best of the evening and it was a joke that she was in the earlier debate," echoed another. Indeed, if Fiorina’s favorable reviews give her enough of a boost in the polls so that she is not excluded from any upcoming "prime time" Republican debates, she will have probably made the most significant gain from this initial encounter of the 2016 GOP White House hopefuls.

#### Part IV: View from the Democrats[edit]

While their team was not on the field last night, 44 Democratic Party insiders weighed in on the GOP clash in Cleveland and on some key aspects, their views on the debate were similar to those of their Republican brethren. For instance, Democratic operatives and strategists thought by a healthy margin that Kasich, Christie and Rubio, all helped themselves considerably by their performance on Thursday night. "Rubio reminded everyone why he is their 'favorite' candidate and second choice: as this thing cycles through, he will be in a good spot," observed one Democratic insider. "Kasich cemented his spot in the top tier as a serious candidate." Another Democrat said, "I give points to Christie for doing everything he could, but it is hard to see how he gets traction."

Who was the biggest winner? - Democrat Responses

A 30 percent plurality of Democratic influentials liked Kasich as the "biggest winner" of the evening, followed by Rubio, who garnered 21 percent of the support from Democrats. Of Kasich, one Democratic operative said, "He did a good job of introducing himself to America. Came across as reasonable on a stage full of right-wing extremists." Rubio, said another Democrat, "was very likable, smart, succinct, and did not take the bait with Trump."

Who was the biggest loser? - Democrat Responses

And like Republicans, there were definitely mixed views on Jeb Bush among Democrats. "Bush was boring, but was clearly the most qualified on the stage and showed it," said one Democratic insider. "If the goal was to set himself apart, he failed," said another Democrat. "If his goal was to appear to be the presumptive nominee, he failed." The Democrats also picked up on the challenges facing Paul. "He got attacked by a lot of people," noted one Democratic operative. "He says he is different kind of Republican; they don’t want a different kind of Republican." Fiorina was also the wide choice among Democrats, who they would like to have seen on the main GOP debate stage in Cleveland.

Which candidate would you like to have seen in the prime time debate? - Democrat Responses

James A. Barnes has conducted surveys of political elites for National Journal magazine, where he founded the Insiders Poll, CNN and the on-line polling firm, YouGov.

# Debate Commentary[edit]

The columns below were authored by guest columnists and members of Ballotpedia's senior writing staff. The opinions and views belong to the authors.

### "The GOP's Disjointed Encounter in Cleveland"[edit]

August 7, 2015
By Karlyn Bowman
Karlyn Bowman, a widely respected analyst of public opinion, is a senior fellow and research coordinator at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.

"Masterful," "riveting," "the best debate ever." These are just a few of the accolades about last night’s Republican debate from people whose analysis I usually admire. But that’s not what I saw. This is perhaps the most exciting, talented, substantive GOP field in a long time, yet what we got for most of the first hour at least were efforts, designed by the Fox moderators, to take each other down.

In a pre-debate poll of Republicans by Selzer & Company for Bloomberg, 39 percent wanted the candidates to "go after fellow Republicans with direct criticisms to show points of difference," while 52 percent wanted them to “play nice and avoid criticism so as not to damage the ultimate nominee.” Sadly, we got more of the sharp exchanges than substantive commentary.

In fairness to Fox, it is very difficult to manage ten people on a stage, and perhaps that is my complaint. But the first hour, when the hosts seemed intent on pitting the candidates against each other, didn’t help the GOP look like a unified team. It’s theater—and not very good theater at that—that won’t help Republicans win the 2016 election.

Now for some specifics. Jeb Bush seems to lack energy. He’s thoughtful and smart, but he doesn’t have the fire one needs for a grueling campaign. He calls himself the “joyful tortoise,” and he is playing the long game, marshalling resources to play in the expensive round of contests in March when 60 percent of the delegates will be awarded. Marco Rubio and Scott Walker appeared to be participating in a debate that the others weren’t part of. They talked substance and took the campaign to Hillary Clinton. If Bush is still the frontrunner, these two are probably his closest competitors. Rand Paul’s early interruption of Donald Trump brought this bottom-tier candidate onto the stage, but he appeals to a narrow slice of the GOP electorate and didn’t appear to expand his support last night. Chris Christie’s forceful response to Paul on national security data collection reminded people of Christie’s debating skills, but also of his testy temperament. Like Christie, Mike Huckabee is a talented speaker and debater, and he probably helped himself last night. Ted Cruz continued his vigorous anti-establishment crusade, but he didn’t seem to expand his appeal. John Kasich is always quirky. If you’ve been listening to him, you have heard his response to conservative critics about expanding Medicaid in Ohio, and he used it effectively once again last night while talking about the significant changes he’s made in Ohio government. And then there is Ben Carson, who seemed out of place on the stage at many moments, but was a breath of fresh air with his masterful closing remarks. For all his bravado, Trump didn’t diminish the other impressive candidates on the stage and that was perhaps his most important contribution last night. It’s too early to know how much, if at all, he damaged himself among GOP rank and file. If Republicans in the audience or watching on television had a favorite before the debate began, I doubt many minds were changed.

### "GOP Contenders Were Schooled By the Woman Who Wasn’t There"[edit]

August 7, 2015
By David Kusnet
David Kusnet was chief speechwriter for former President Bill Clinton from 1992 through 1994. He is a principal and the senior writer at the Podesta Group, a government relations and public relations firm in Washington, D.C.

In last night’s Republican presidential candidates’ debate, every contender but one brought his zingers and talking points. The exception: Donald Trump, whose ramblings sounded unrehearsed.

But only one candidate brought her A-game. And Carly Fiorina was relegated to the also-rans’ early evening debate, although a segment of her speaking was shown several hours later at the main event.

So what can we learn from the contrast between Fiorina’s self-discipline and Trump’s self-indulgence? And between Fiorina’s coherent case and most other candidates’ stand-alone soundbites?

First, preparation matters. And women prepare better than men. Over almost four (!!) decades of speechwriting, I’ve never heard a woman say, "I’ll wing it." And, with the exception of Bill Clinton, I’ve rarely worked with a speaker who’s at his best without prepared points.

Preparation doesn’t mean sticking slavishly to a text or memorizing your remarks when you’re speaking in a setting such as a debate where tele-prompters are taboo. But it does mean having a sense of what you want to say and how your best phrasings will help you make larger points.

Which leads to why Fiorina out-performed not only her fellow CEO but also the veteran politicians.

Second lesson: Soundbites need to fit into a coherent case.

Fiorina overshadowed her rivals not with one-liners but with well-reasoned arguments in response to predictable questions. For instance, her line of attack against Trump was spot-on for an audience of angry conservative Republicans:

“  | He’s tapped into an anger,” she said, identifying herself with his supporters. “They’re sick of politics as usual. Whatever your issue, your cause, the festering problem you thought would be resolved — the political class has failed you.[11] | ”

|
|

"I would also say this," she said, inserting the knife. "Since he has changed his mind on amnesty, healthcare, and abortion, what are the principles by which he will govern?"

In contrast, most of the major contenders at the evening event were armed with one-liners but failed to break through the clutter by clearly establishing their own identities and connecting themselves to larger causes.

Yes, Mike Huckabee had several memorable lines, particularly his head feint in his closing statement when he sounded as if he was about to bludgeon Trump but instead hit Hillary Clinton. And Ben Carson’s last two statements, both drawing on his experience as a neurosurgeon, were human and humorous.

But only with Marco Rubio did his disparate points – his immigrant, working class upbringing; his relative youthfulness; his commitment to upward mobility; and his belief in American exceptionalism – contribute to a coherent message: representing America’s future. The runner-up in the messaging marathon was John Kasich, whose own emphasis on his working class background, his religiously rooted concern for "the least among us," and his support for expanding Medicaid all add up to a more contemporary version of George W. Bush’s "compassionate conservatism." But will Republican primary voters outside Ohio buy what Kasich is selling?

As for the other contenders, current and former governors Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Chris Christie and Kasich told variants of the same Gov. Story: cutting budgets, cutting taxes and improving economies. Meanwhile, Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul each strove to present themselves as stalwart conservatives, with Paul sometimes suggesting, as with his crossfire with Christie about government surveillance, that his libertarian heritage makes him "a different kind of conservative."

Still, Fiorina and Rubio seemed best at doing what most communicators must do every day: break through the clutter to establish an identity and make a case.

You can’t do it without preparing to make every word count.

### "Trump Kept the Spotlight on Himself, But Others Shined"[edit]

August 7, 2015
By James A. Barnes
James A. Barnes is a senior writer for Ballotpedia. He is the founding editor of the National Journal Political Insiders Poll and is a co-author of the 2016 edition of the Almanac of American Politics.

The Republicans’ prime-time clash in Cleveland was not your father’s presidential debate. At times, it seemed more like your crazy uncle’s. But despite the discordant notes, the kick-off to the 2016 Republican presidential debates achieved one of the main goals of such encounters: giving lesser-known long shots a chance to stand out from the crowd and capture some much-needed attention from both party activists and the media.

From the outset, it seemed like this was going to be a different kind of debate. It’s hard to recall another debate where the leader in polls for a presidential nomination said he might consider an independent run for the White House if he didn’t get the party’s nod. But Donald Trump was not shy about saying he would keep that option open. It’s also rare for a frontrunner, even one as tenuous as Trump, to indulge in kind of the barbs he did on Thursday night—towards his opponents, the debate moderators, the press corps, the political class and even a major demographic segment of the electorate. Normally, frontrunners like to play it safe and deflect attacks, stay above the fray and appear presidential. At least Trump was true to his word when he said in various interviews beforehand, "I am what I am," and that he wouldn’t rein in his brash style for a presidential debate.

And typically, most presidential contenders don’t brag about their wealth and their ability to buy politicians. "You better believe it," said Trump declaring that his contributions to candidates have won him a favor or two "when I need something. With Hillary Clinton, I said, 'be at my wedding.'" I was almost expecting one of Trump’s rivals on stage to quip, "Which one?" After the debate, some Republican Party Insiders were saying, and no doubt hoping, that the Cleveland debate would finally mark the point when Trump’s candidacy starts to lose altitude. Perhaps, but we’ve heard those predictions before too.

Yet while Trump literally held center stage in Cleveland, long shots like Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the last two candidates to make the cut for the prime-time debate, were able to break through with their messages. Both came across as sensible. Kasich used humility well in explaining his positions on issues ranging from Medicaid expansion to gay marriage. Christie was forceful and persuasive in his exchanges with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul over telephone surveillance, without coming across as a brute. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was sharp on his feet, and in the eyes of party insiders, a clear beneficiary of the debate.

But the biggest winner wasn’t even on the big stage. Carly Fiorina turned in a stellar performance in the undercard debate of the seven candidates who didn’t make the cut for the evening encounter. So much so, that an overwhelming number of party insiders were saying that she belonged in the main event, not the preliminary round. Meanwhile, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush didn’t seem to display the same kind of self-assurance that his older brother did in debates, which were hardly his forte. A survey of more than 100 veteran Republican operatives and party activists conducted by Ballotpedia gave him modest reviews, something you don’t expect from an establishment audience. That may be a reflection of how unsettled the 2016 GOP contest is right now. Neither Trump nor Bush is a convincing frontrunner and the Cleveland debates did nothing to alter that dynamic in the Republican race.

# Candidate Forum[edit]

## Basic information[edit]

Date: August 6, 2015
Time: 5:00 - 6:00 pm EDT
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena
Sponsor: Fox News and Facebook
Moderators: Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum
Rules for inclusion: Fox announced in June 2015 its intentions to hold a forum for candidates who did not meet the criteria for admission into the first primary debate. Initially, the network stated that qualified candidates must meet all constitutional requirements, register a formal campaign, file all necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), pay all necessary federal and state filing fees and "must score 1% or higher in an average of the five most recent national polls, as recognized by FOX News."[5] In late July, however, Fox removed the one percent rule. Michael Clemente, the network's vice president, said in a statement, "Due to the overwhelming interest in the FOX News Facebook Debate Event Night on August 6th and in a concerted effort to include and accommodate the now 16 Republican candidate field — the largest in modern political history — FOX News is expanding participation in the 5 PM/ET debate to all declared candidates whose names are consistently being offered to respondents in major national polls, as recognized by Fox News." Participants still needed to meet all constitutional and registration requirements and to pay all necessary state and federal filing fees.[12] Fox announced the list of invited participants for the forum on August 4, 2015, shortly after 6:00 pm EDT.[6]

## Participants[edit]

* Perry

* Santorum

* Jindal

* Fiorina

* Graham

* Pataki

* Gilmore

Participant projections leading up to August 4, 2015

Click [show] to see participant projections leading up to August 4, 2015

Washington Post: August 2, 2015[7]

* Perry 2.6%

* Santorum 1.4%

* Jindal 1.4%

* Fiorina 0.7%

* Pataki 0.7%

* Graham 0.5%

Washington Post: July 30, 2015[8]

* Perry 2.3%

* Santorum 1.4%

* Jindal 1.4%

* Fiorina 0.6%

* Pataki 0.6%

* Graham 0.4%

New York Times: July 29, 2015[9]

* Kasich 2.0%

* Santorum 1.6%

* Jindal 1.4%

* Fiorina 0.8%

* Pataki 0.6%

* Graham 0.4%

Five Thirty Eight: July 17, 2015[10]

* Perry 2%

* Kasich 1.6%

* Jindal 1.4%

* Fiorina 1.4%

* Pataki 0.4%

* Graham 0.4%

## Summary[edit]

#### August 6, 2015[edit]

By Charles Aull
Seven Republican candidates for U.S. president participated in a candidate forum at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, earlier this evening. The event was sponsored by Fox News and Facebook. It took place at 5:00 pm EDT, just four hours before a 9:00 pm debate featuring ten other GOP presidential candidates.

Fox established the rules for participation. The network allowed candidates to participate who met all constitutional requirements to become president, had paid all necessary state and federal filing fees, had filed all necessary paperwork with the FCC and did not place within “the top 10 of an average of the five most recent national polls, as recognized by FOX News leading up to August 4th at 5 PM/ET.” These candidates included Jim Gilmore, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina and George Pataki.

Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum moderated the forum.

The event began with brief introductions of the candidates. No opening statements were made. Instead, Hemmer and MacCallum provided an overview of the rules and moved directly into questions. Candidates were allowed one minute for responses and 30 seconds for rebuttals.

Questions were determined by the moderators and Fox News. Topics ranged from leadership styles and qualifications to entitlement reform, healthcare, abortion, foreign policy and executive authority. Early in the debate, Hemmer and MacCallum also asked candidates their opinions on Republican candidate Donald Trump and why they are running for president, despite low poll numbers or, in some cases, previous attempts to run for president. These latter questions were often tailored toward specific candidates.

The forum ended with each candidate providing a one-minute closing statement.

The order in which candidates stood on stage can be seen below. It reflected their rankings in the polls that Fox used to determine participation in the forum. Perry, with the highest poll numbers stood in the middle. Jindal and Santorum were to his left and right respectively. Fiorina, who was ranked fourth, stood right of Santorum, while Graham stood left of Jindal. Pataki and Gilmore occupied the left and right flanks.[13]

A written transcript of the forum, provided by Time Magazine, can be found here.

#### On-stage positioning[edit]

* Gilmore

* Graham

* Jindal

* Perry

* Santorum

* Fiorina

* Pataki

## Republican Debate Schedule[edit]

Click the schedule to return back to the top of the page.

## See also[edit]

* Presidential debates (2015-2016)
* Presidential candidates, 2016
* Presidential election, 2016/Polls
* 2016 presidential candidate ratings and scorecards
* Presidential election, 2016/Straw polls

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Five Thirty Eight, "What Fox News Still Isn’t Saying About Its GOP Debate," June 8, 2015
2. ↑ Fox News, "Fox News And Facebook Partner To Host First Republican Presidential Primary Debate Of 2016 Election," May 2015
3. ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Poll methods for presidential debates questioned," May 30, 2015
4. ↑ Fox News, "How Fox News determined who qualified for prime-time GOP debate," August 4, 2015
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fox News, "Fox News Channel To Host Candidate Forum Ahead Of First Gop Primary Debate August 6th," June 2015
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fox News, "Fox News announces candidate line-up for prime-time debate," August 4, 2015
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Washington Post, "The state of the GOP debate: Sunday, August 2," August 2, 2015
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Washington Post, "Kasich in, Perry out, and Trump Trump Trump: The latest on next week’s debate," July 30, 2015
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 New York Times, "The First G.O.P. Debate: Who's In, Who's Out and the Role of Chance," July 29, 2015
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Five Thirty Eight, "Chris Christie Is In Danger Of Missing The First Republican Debate," July 17, 2015
11. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
12. ↑ Politico, "Fox lowers threshold for early debate," July 28, 2015
13. ↑ Washington Post, "Perry out, Kasich in: Fox News announces the participants in Thursday night’s debate," August 4, 2015

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