N.H. GOP backs out of Fox GOP forum
By: Kenneth P. Vogel
January 5, 2008 08:23 PM EST
In protest of Fox News’ excluding Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter from its GOP presidential candidates forum Sunday, the New Hampshire state Republican Party has withdrawn its sponsorship of the forum.
The forum is the last chance for voters to see the Republican candidates face-off before New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary Tuesday. And party Chairman Fergus Cullen said Fox’s decision to limit participation runs counter to the primary’s “national purpose.”
“Only in New Hampshire do lesser-known, lesser-funded underdogs have a fighting chance to establish themselves as national figures,” Cullen said in a statement posted on the party’s website.
Fox has invited former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Cullen told Politico that he had asked Fox News last week to allow Paul and Hunter at the forum, which will be moderated by Chris Wallace at the network’s temporary studio at St. Anselm’s College in Manchester, N.H., and broadcast at 8 p.m.
“Our mutual efforts to resolve this difference have failed,” Cullen's statement said, adding “the New Hampshire Republican Party hereby withdraws as a partner in this forum.”
Fox did not respond to specific questions about Paul or the criteria used to issue invites, instead issuing a non-response response from Vice President of News David Rhodes, reading: "We look forward to presenting a substantive forum which will serve as the first program of its kind this election season."
Fox had previously said it only invited candidates who were polling in the double-digits in recent national polls.
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National polls averaged by Real Clear Politics show Paul, a Texas congressman, polling at about 4 percent, behind the five invited candidates. But he drew nearly 10 percent of the support in Thursday’s Iowa caucuses — well ahead of Giuliani — and was polling near 10 percent in New Hampshire — again ahead of Giuliani, as well as Thompson.
The Paul campaign praised Cullen and blasted Fox in a statement.
"Fox News' decision to exclude Congressman Paul is unfair, but it won't stop Dr. Paul's message of freedom, peace and prosperity from resonating with the people of New Hampshire," said campaign spokesman Jesse Benton. He told Politico that the campaign wouldn’t hold any protest event at the same time as the forum, but rather would “just buy our own airtime and reach New Hampshire voters ourselves.”
Paul’s zealous community of Internet supporters, who helped him raise $20 million in the last three months of 2007 (more than any other GOP candidate), have also lashed out at Fox over the last few days, urging protest e-mails and boycotts of the network.
Paul will, however, be able to participate in tonight’s ABC-WMUR debate. But it won’t include Hunter, a California congressman. ABC said it was excluding him — as well as Democrats Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel — from tonight's Democratic because they did poorly in Iowa and haven’t showed well in recent polls.
Cullen also encouraged ABC to open its debate, telling Politico “it’s not all about Fox and it’s not all about Ron Paul.”
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