Carly Fiorina won't be at the next GOP debate


Despite support from her fellow Republicans and the fact that she did better in Iowa than some of her counterparts, Carly Fiorina was not invited to participate in the ABC News Republican debate on Saturday.
The network said Fiorina did not meet its criteria — namely, she did not finish in the top three in the Iowa caucuses, and is not averaging in the top six in polls nationally and in New Hampshire. There won't be an undercard debate this time around, and Fiorina sent the Republican National Committee a letter asking that it "demand that media executives step aside and let voters hear from all of us." She received support from former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, and even rival Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who said she "deserves to be there." Also in her corner is the 2012 Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, who tweeted that Fiorina did better in Iowa than New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and ABC would be wrong to "exclude" the "only woman" in the field.
In addition to Fiorina, Jim Gilmore was not asked to attend the debate. Invitations were sent to Donald Trump, Cruz, Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Christie, Kasich, and Jeb Bush.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Exploring Georgia's southern highlands
The Week Recommends Visit Javakheti, Georgia's 'lake district', and meet the last-remaining 'spirit wrestlers' in the region
-
Delivery drivers face continuing heat danger with Trump's OSHA pick
The Explainer David Keeling is the former head of UPS and also worked at Amazon
-
Is that the buzzing sound of climate change worsening sleep apnea?
Under the radar Catching diseases, not those ever-essential Zzs
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible