Fox News Is Skewing Early GOP Primaries

As you know, Duncan Hunter was excluded from the debates in Hew Hampshire and now in South Carolina.  Duncan Hunter is a viable and active candidate in good standing.  He had to pay $25,000 to get his name on the primary ballot in South Carolina!  He has a network of volunteers that has worked very hard, but all are barred by the SC GOP from attending the debate.  Worse, he is being excluded based upon one criterion imposed by Fox News:  he has not garnered 5% of the national electorate as determined by recent polling. 

 

So where is Fox News getting their poll data from?  If you go to their website, Duncan Hunter is not even listed as a candidate.  Furthermore, Fox News is drawing their consolidated poll data from Real Clear Politics, an online clearinghouse for dozens of polls.  According to Real Clear Politics, he doesn’t exist.  He is nowhere in their polling data – they are not even tracking him!

 

Therefore, Fox News is using incomplete poll data (and thereby skewed data) to exclude a candidate from the debates.  Information is knowingly being withheld from voters in these early states, and their access to a Presidential candidate is barred.  This, in turn, is affecting results in later states as candidates are prematurely dropped from consideration – BY THE MEDIA.  Not only is that unethical, it is manipulative, and it is blatantly contrary to the American electoral process.  There is no one holding the SC GOP or Fox News accountable. 

 

It is far too early to exclude candidates from the process – that is not fair to the voters.  Fox News is manipulating voter access and unfortunately, the South Carolina GOP is allowing it.  It is shameful and entirely anti-American.

 

 

Heidi Thiess
Texas Grassroots Coordinator

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