The first 2016 GOP debate could exclude the only female candidate

With so many Republicans vying for the party's 2016 presidential nomination, debate organizers were put in a bind trying to figure out how to pack so many candidates onto one stage. So on Wednesday, Fox News — which will host the first debate on Aug. 6 — announced it would solve the problem by inviting only the top 10 candidates based on the five most recent national polls "recognized by Fox News" heading into the event.

It's unclear which polls Fox will or will not consider for the ranking. But as NBC notes, going by the the polls it recognizes would result in a crowd starting with Jeb Bush and ending with Donald Trump. Left out of the mix: former Hewlett-Packard CEO and political neophyte — and the GOP field's only female candidate — Carly Fiorina. Aggregated poll results from Real Clear Politics also show Fiorina missing the cut.

That said, the standings should change over the coming months. And Fox will include only declared candidates, meaning some GOPers with dubious aims and near-impossible paths to victory could bow out by then, freeing up more room for the rest of the pack.

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