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Republican presidential hopeful Gary Johnson has sharply denounced CNN for excluding him from next Monday’s presidential debate in New Hampshire.
Johnson, who participated in the televised debate in South Carolina on May 5 — the first Republican presidential debate of the 2012 election cycle — is being excluded from Monday’s debate because he failed to garner an average of 2 percent in national polls, or a similar percentage in state-specific polling conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.
Ironically, Johnson’s name wasn’t even included in some of the national polls used in the debate criteria.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson’s The Daily Caller, the libertarian-leaning former New Mexico governor said that his exclusion was “really disheartening” and “really disappointing.”
“I never contemplated being excluded from the debate table,” he said.
On Tuesday, Ron Nielson, a senior adviser to the Johnson campaign, fired off a blistering letter to CNN, telling the cable news network and the other debate sponsors that “the idea that inclusion – or exclusion – from a critical debate in a critical state will be based entirely upon polling arithmetic, seven months before a single vote is cast, is not only absurd, but counter-intuitive to the very purpose of a debate.”
Nielson reminded CNN that Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, both of whom were also governors of relatively small states, were only polling at one or two percent at this stage in their respective 1976 and 1992 presidential campaigns.
“Given that poll rankings at this point are largely the result of decisions by the elite media, such as CNN, about who and what to cover – and to whom to give precious air time, it is more than a little ironic when those same media use those poll numbers to deem certain candidates deserving and others not,” wrote Nielson. “That irony is not lost on Republican primary voters who most assuredly do not want media elites pre-selecting their candidates for them.”
Johnson, the only participant in the May 5 South Carolina debate who will be excluded from Monday’s debate in the Granite State, also addressed the issue during an appearance on Fox & Friends on Monday morning. “Well, I didn’t crawl out from under a rock to run for president of the United States,” said Johnson, reminding his television audience that he had been a highly successful entrepreneur and a two-term governor of New Mexico.
Thank you for covering this important story. All Americans should be greatly upset that CNN, Union Leader, and WMUR think it is their job to exclude a two term Governor from the debate table, especially considering they found it appropriate to invite others who aren’t even official candidates for the presidency.
I would be mad also. Gary should be included no matter what – all the candidates should have an equal opportunity to debate no matter how low they are polling. I also heard Donald Trump was going to be included? I don’t know if it is true or not but if he is I will boycott all CNN programming for life.
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I am sad to hear that he has been excluded. I support Ron Paul but I do not think this was right of CNN to do. I remember Dennis Kucinich was excluded from some of the 2008 Democratic debates… very unfortunate.
So, CNN is going to exclude a guy who was elected, and re-elected, governor of New Mexico; and had the largest construction company in that state; which he sold in 1999 and became a multi-millionaire. A man who, as governor, had a balanced budget, in both terms.
Yet, they are going to include a guy who has never held elected office, and whose only significant accomplishment, for the job of President of the United States, is he founded a highly successful pizza making-and-delivery company. CNN has lost all credibility and is denying the American people the opportunity to hear someone who is intelligent and accomplished; someone who offers a choice, not merely an echo.
One should only get mad if there is nothing productive you can do about the actions of CNN/WMUR/Union Leader. Since all these businesses have contact information – contact one or all of them.
If I was a conspiracy theorist I wouldn’t be averse to suggesting that the person or persons in charge of the debate excluded Johnson with an otherwise objective criteria so as to increase interest in the debate and increase the ratings and ad sales for the event. No exclusion, no irked Johnson supporters and another blah debate. Whack the bee hive though and you get some buzz – even angry buzz beats no buzz at all.
I agree with Terry P above, CNN has lost credibility.
Ms Bachmann is not even a candidate yet she will be there but Mr. Johnson will not! Johnson has some important policy positions that need to be heard. What has happened to the notion of fair play and democracy. Shame on CNN!