As Republican presidential candidates gear up for the third GOP debate, the middle and lower tier presidential candidates are concerned as speculation has mounted that the next debate will not feature an undercard event.
However, according to Politico, Sen. Lindsey Graham's campaign
sent a blunt message to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus saying, "Stop trying to shrink the GOP primary."
"The RNC should not be in the business of winnowing down primary fields; in fact, the rules specifically forbid it without a vote of the committee. No such vote has taken place," Christian Ferry, Graham's campaign manager, wrote in the two-page letter sent to Priebus on Monday and obtained by Politico.
"This race is far from over and far from narrowing down. Let's give voters the full picture and view of our party, not limit participation."
Politico notes that neither the RNC nor CNBC has announced how many candidates will be allowed into the prime time debate on Oct. 28 in Boulder, Colo. and the criteria for the third debate is expected to be released in the coming week.
Ferry wrote in the letter that candidates including Graham, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, and George Pataki should not be marginalized and suggested that the candidates "be split via a random draw for two shorter debates."
"These are not 'also ran' campaigns and the RNC should stop treating them as such," he wrote. "If we have learned anything from the campaign to date, we have learned that it is completely unpredictable and that conventional wisdom is anything but wise. To try to sit here today and predict what will happen two weeks from now, let alone five months from now, is an exercise in futility."
Ferry added, "I agree, the field should shrink, but not before the campaign is run."
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