Things are looking up for Chris Christie. After being relegated to the kids' table at the last GOP debate, the Republican presidential candidate and New Jersey governor will likely be retaking his spot on the main stage at the upcoming CNN debate on Dec. 15 in Las Vegas, thanks to the debate's different qualifying criteria announced Thursday.
For round five, CNN is giving candidates three different ways to snag a main-stage spot:
Candidates must meet one of three criteria in polls conducted between October 29 and December 13 and recognized by CNN: An average of at least 3.5 percent nationally; at least 4 percent in Iowa; or at least 4 percent in New Hampshire. [CNN]
While the national polling percentage is a full percentage point higher than the last debate's criteria, CNN will not be including poll results from Investor's Business Daily, which, according to The Hill, was "one of the four used by Fox Business that caused Christie... to fall to the undercard."
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Based off of CNN's criteria — and as the polls stand right now — Christie would make the debate stage, along with Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Rand Paul, and Carly Fiorina.
The debate will be moderated by Wolf Blitzer, who will be joined by CNN Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash and conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt as questioners.
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