Fox News beats up on 'kids' table' candidates in first GOP debate

Republican debate
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum, the moderators of Fox News' so-called "kids' table" debate for the second tier of Republican presidential candidates, lost no time reminding said candidates that they failed to make the top 10, with opening questions that openly challenged their qualifications and relevance.

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Those first four questions went to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Perry, perhaps the most high-profile candidate in the second tier, did not get much love at all.

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But if Perry got it bad, MacCallum really went after Jindal, noting that Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton was polling better than him in his own state.

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The second round of questions wasn't much kinder, with the moderators noting that Donald Trump had been killing the candidates in the polls.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.