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After facing some backlash for a selection method some felt might unfairly exclude Carly Fiorina, CNN announced its official prime-time lineup for Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate.
The 2 stages are set for the Sept. 16 #CNNDebate. Who makes the main stage? http://t.co/75Pm4p32nP pic.twitter.com/fuSq6ZiLkW
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 11, 2015
While the host network initially announced it would choose the participants based on an average of polling results between July 16 and Sept. 10, many thought Fiorina’s popularity spike following the first debate earned her a spot on the main stage for the second.
CNN conceded, updating its criteria to include only polls taken after Aug. 7. Under the original system, Fiorina would have ranked 11th with 2.2 percent support in an average of qualifying polls.
“The top 10 candidates overall – plus Fiorina, whose average support places her within the top 10 in polls conducted after the first debate held August 6 – have all qualified for the 8:00 p.m. debate next Wednesday in Simi Valley,” CNN Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta wrote.
Under the updated system, Fiorina tied for seventh place with Mike Huckabee.
Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump earned center-stage privileges, emerging from the selection process with nearly 24 percent support. Jeb Bush and Scott Walker round out the top three, with 11.5 and 9.4 percent support respectively.
The five candidates who did not make the cut include Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Lindsey Graham. This group will take part in a debate set for Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Only one candidate – Jim Gilmore – failed to reach the 1 percent threshold required to be eligible for either debate.
h/t: TheBlaze
Did Carly Fiorina earn her spot on the stage? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.