Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum thinks he should be added to the list of candidates who get to participate in the first Republican debate in August since he won the Iowa caucus in 2012.
"I call it the Masters exemption," Santorum told
The Daily Caller.
The Pennsylvania Republican probably won't qualify for the debate on Aug. 6, since Fox News said that it will only include the candidates who are in the top 10 in the Real Clear Politics national polling average prior to the debate.
But Santorum wants Fox News to consider a rule that applies to golfers who win the Masters Tournament, who get invited to compete in the golf tournament for life.
If that rule were applied, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee would also qualify for the first Republican debate.
The former senator told The Daily Caller that Fox News should at least consider using poll numbers based on averages in early caucus and primary states, such as Iowa and New Hampshire, not national averages.
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