The GOP has no idea how all its primary candidates will fit on a debate stage

(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

published 13 May 2015

The 2016 GOP primary already has six declared candidates — and, according to The Washington Post, that number could balloon to a whopping 16 or more before the first GOP debate on August 6.

But if more than a dozen GOP hopefuls do enter the race (and that's highly likely), how will the Republican National Committee manage to fit them all on a debate stage? And if they can't, how will the networks and the RNC decide who gets kicked off?

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"It is that complicated," one person familiar with the discussions told the Post. "Every time you think you've come up with a fair and equitable way, there's a reason why that scenario falls apart." No more than 10 candidates have ever been included in a GOP primary debate, and the RNC has reportedly suggested narrowing down the candidate pool through factors like poll numbers and early-state staffing.

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Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.