Rand Paul, Jim Gilmore get good news about next GOP debate
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has earned back a spot on the main stage for the next Republican debate on Thursday night, debate host Fox News announced Tuesday. Paul failed to qualify for the main stage during the last debate, held earlier this month by Fox Business Network, due to his low polling numbers.
Meanwhile, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore qualified for the "undercard" debate, giving him his first chance on a national debate stage since August.
Along with Paul, the other candidates who qualified for the main stage are Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich. However, Trump said Tuesday that's unlikely to participate in the debate due to his ongoing feud with Fox.
To qualify for the main stage, a candidate had to be either among the top six in an average of the five most recent national polls, or among the top five in an average of the five most recent Iowa or New Hampshire polls.
The "undercard" debate features candidates who didn't qualify for the main stage but received at least 1 percent support in at least one recent national poll. Along with Gilmore, those candidates include Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum.