Vying To Be #10

Three GOP governors - Kasich, Christie and Perry - are making a last minute push to not be relegated to the kids’ table at the debate next week. Two of them will make it, one won’t, per Politico.

With just six days to go before the inaugural Republican primary debate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry are locked in a three-way scramble for the last two podiums on the main stage.

The fight for entry into Fox News’ primetime event — and the fear of being relegated to the early-evening undercard debate — has forced all three candidates to step up their media campaigns, courting Fox News and conservative radio outlets in an effort to curry last-minute support before the polling window closes on August 4.
This week alone, Christie has made four appearances on Fox News, accounting for more than half of the total appearances he’s made on the network since launching his campaign in June. Those hits include coveted primetime interviews with the likes of Bill O’Reilly, Megyn Kelly and Sean Hannity, all of whom draw millions of viewers. Perry has made three appearances on the network since Tuesday. Kasich, who appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Friday, will do so again on Saturday. He is also talking to influential conservative radio hosts like Laura Ingraham and Hugh Hewitt.
The importance of qualifying for the debate, which takes place Aug. 6 in Cleveland, Ohio, has upended the usual pace of the primary campaign. Six months out from the Iowa caucuses, candidates would normally be focused on building local support in early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. But with national polls determining inclusion in the debate, campaigns have been forced to play for a far-wider audience, either through media interviews or attention-grabbing headlines.
“No one has ever paid this much attention to the national polls this early on,” a staffer with one of the three campaigns said. “We’ve been very aggressive engaging with voters on the ground, but so many people paying attention to the polls now.”

The clown car just keeps getting clownier. So looking forward to the debate - it’s tailor made for a drinking game.

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