Cavuto, Bartiromo to return as GOP debate moderators
Neil Cavuto and Maria Bartiromo will reprise their roles as moderators for Fox Business Network’s GOP debate next week in South Carolina, the second to last before the Iowa caucuses.
The pair received broad praise from the GOP candidates and the Republican National Committee after the network’s November debate, which came weeks after a contentious CNBC debate criticized for “gotcha” questions.
{mosads}”Thanks to a well-run debate, the country was able to see our diverse field of talented and exceptionally qualified candidates exchange ideas for how to reinvigorate the economy and put Americans back to work,” RNC chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement shortly after the Fox Business debate.
Cavuto also nodded at the controversy as he closed the November debate, noting that “Business debates can be riveting, because it wasn’t about us. It’s about them.”
Anchors Trish Regan and Sandra Smith will once again moderate the undercard debate, which could include significantly more candidates than earlier contests thanks to more restrictive criteria from Fox Business.
The primetime event will only include the top six candidates in an average of five recent national polls. However, another candidate could be added to the stage if they are in the top five in polling of New Hampshire or Iowa.
The rules could send candidates like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), former HP CEO Carly Fiorina and Ohio Gov. John Kasich down to the undercard, which gets significantly fewer viewers.
The last debate marked the most watched event in Fox Business Network’s history, according to the network.
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