Tag Archives: John Kasich

Election, Government Accountability, Politics, US

Ohio Gov. John Kasich Foresees End of Two-Party System

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Columbus, OH— On February 25th, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a staunch Trump critic and 2016 Republican presidential primary challenger, said that both the Republican and Democratic parties are failing the U.S. people, noting that “we may be beginning to see the end of a two-party system.”

Appearing on ABC’s “This Week”, Kasich— who was allegedly offered the position of Vice President after Trump’s 2016 election victory and turned it down, and has been rumored to be considering mounting a primary challenge against Trump in 2020— said that Americans are disenchanted with both parties and contemplated the rise of a “multi-party system” in the United States.

“I want to support candidates who I believe want to take the high road. Those that want to create discord and those that want to put the party in front of the country, I’m not showing up,” he said.

“I will tell you another thing. We may be beginning to see the end of a two-party system. I’m starting to really wonder if we are going to see a multi-party system at some point in the future in this country. Because I don’t think either party is answering people’s deepest concerns and needs.”

During the interview, which also included Democratic Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Kasich went on to note that younger Americans could be the ones to usher in a new paradigm in U.S. politics.

“I mean, I don’t think it’s going to happen tomorrow, but I think over time, do not be surprised if these millennials and these Gen Xers begin to say, ‘Neither party works, we want something new,’” Kasich said.

[RELATED: Current, Former Elected Officials Join New Mexico Libertarian Party]

When asked about own political future, and whether he was considering another run for the presidency, Kasich was coy but appeared to leave the door open for another presidential bid.

“I don’t think about it. You know what, because I can’t predict the future and I can’t do what is going to be expected of me at some level to serve my country. I don’t know what that means. I’m sorry. I just don’t know,” he said.

“And do I sit around at night and think do I want to go through running for president again? Did you ever try it? Go try it once and give me a call. See how much fun it is. We’ll see what the future brings.”

Despite Kasich’s dismissal during the interview regarding another presidential run, an exclusive report from Axios claims that Kasich and Hickenlooper are part of an alliance laying the groundwork for a potential joint independent bid for the presidency in 2020.

The report from Axios notes:

The two, who got to know each other at conferences, plan to extend their joint platform from health care to two other hot policy areas: immigration and job creation.

On health care (with a detailed plan to be released soon), the two have broadened their efforts to a bipartisan group that includes 11 governors.

The Johns’ jobs plan will focus on the coming displacement from automation, with prescriptions that include trade, workforce training — and an optimistic and hopeful message, balanced with an honest admission that some jobs just aren’t coming back.

The two are talking to major media companies about a possible podcast or cable show to continue cementing their brand. Their conversations would include politics, policy, and pop culture.

In D.C. in early September, the two will hold a health-care conference that includes policy input from the American Enterprise Institute on the right and the Center for American Progress on the left.

Kasich, who’s being advised by veteran consultant John Weaver, is keeping open all his options, including the possibility of primarying Trump in 2020.

Nothing subtle about any of this: Kasich has urged Hickenlooper to visit New Hampshire.

Both are 65 and both were born in the crucial electoral state of Pennsylvania, Kasich from the Pittsburgh side and Hickenlooper from the Philly side (corrected).

Both are proud policy wonks, and their staffs are said to get along famously.

The revelation that Kasich and Hickenlooper may be contemplating an independent run for the presidency would seem to inform Kasich’s comments during the interview regarding the end of a two-party duopoly and the rise of a “multi-party system.” Neither Kasich or Hickenlooper have made any public declaration about an independent 2020 bid for the presidency.

Election, Politics

GOP Candidates Call Snowden a ‘Traitor,’ U.S. Has Yet to Charge Him with Treason

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While the remaining GOP candidates have spoken out against National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, calling him a “traitor,” the United States government has yet to formally charge him with treason.

Federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against the former NSA contractor in June 2013, after he leaked a collection of mass surveillance documents which revealed to the public that the NSA was collecting the phone records of American citizens.

The complaint stated that Snowden is facing a charge of “theft of government property,” along with charges of “unauthorized communication of national defense information” and “willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person,” which were both brought under the Espionage Act of 1917.

However, Snowden is not facing charges of treason. Article 3, Section 3 of the Constitution defines “treason” as:

[pull_quote_center]Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.[/pull_quote_center]

The Washington Post noted that under this definition, the U.S. government would have to “demonstrate that Snowden was actively trying to provide aid and comfort to a specific entity, such as al-Qaeda, with which the U.S. is at war,” and it would have to find two witnesses who “observed Snowden leaking the information.” 

Despite the fact that Snowden is not facing treason charges, the remaining GOP candidates have openly called him a “traitor.”

During the GOP Debate hosted by Fox News Thursday night, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was asked why he did not immediately condemn Snowden when the documents were leaked in 2013.

“You were open to the possibility that Edward Snowden had performed a considerable public service, you said back then, in revealing certain aspects of the NSA procedures,” Fox News host Bret Bair said. “Many of your colleagues in the Senate, including Senator Rubio, called him a traitor. It took you until January of this year to call him a traitor and say he should be tried for treason.Why the change of heart? And why did it take you so long?”

Cruz insisted that when the leaks were first reported, it was unclear whether Snowden had committed treason, and he said that since then it has become clear that Snowden’s leaks provided “aid and comfort to the enemies of America,” by making it “easier for terrorists to avoid detection.”

[pull_quote_center]When the news first broke of the United States government engaging in massive surveillance on American citizens, that was a very troubling development, and it’s why the United States Congress acted to correct it. Now, at the same time, I said in that initial statement that if the evidence indicated that Edward Snowden violated the law, he should be prosecuted for violating the law. And, indeed, since then, the evidence is clear that not only does Snowden violate the law, but it appears he committed treason. Treason is defined under the Constitution as giving aid and comfort to the enemies of America, and what Snowden did made it easier for terrorists to avoid detection.[/pull_quote_center]

Business mogul Donald Trump chimed in and said Snowden was a “spy and we should get him back,” insisting that because Russia granted asylum to Snowden, it shows a lack of respect for the U.S. This follows previous comments in July 2013 when Trump called Snowden a “terrible traitor,” and alluded to the idea that he should be killed.

During a campaign forum in August 2015, Ohio Gov. John Kasich called Snowden a “traitor” for releasing classified information.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has called Snowden a “traitor” on multiple occasions, claiming in Nov. 2013 that the “intelligence programs” used by the NSA were necessary, and should not be deterred by the “conspiracy theories sparked by Edward Snowden.” 

“We must respond to the valid concerns of Americans, who are alarmed by reports regarding their civil liberties,” Rubio said. “But we must also distinguish these reasonable concerns from conspiracy theories sparked by Edward Snowden. This man is a traitor who has sought assistance and refuge from some of the world’s most notorious violators of liberty and human rights.”

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Civil Liberties, Election, Featured, Government Accountability

GOP Candidates Sell FBI’s Talking Points, Ignore Apple’s Concerns

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The remaining five GOP presidential candidates participated in a debate hosted by CNN and Telemundo Thursday night, and they were questioned on their positions regarding the current conflict between Apple and the FBI.

Apple CEO Tim Cook brought the issue to light last week when he released a letter notifying customers that the FBI was ordering Apple to “build a backdoor” into the iPhone in order to retrieve information from the iPhone used by one of the suspects in the San Bernardino shooting.

While the FBI claimed the “backdoor” would only be used on the one iPhone in question, Cook raised several concerns, noting that the FBI’s request “has implications far beyond the legal case at hand” due to the fact that once “a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge.” 

[RELATED: Apple Rejects Government Order to Create ‘Backdoor’ for iPhone]  

CNN host Wolf Blitzer brought up the topic during the debate, claiming that the FBI “wants Apple to unlock the phone used by that San Bernardino terrorist to prevent future attacks,” but that Apple has refused because “it would compromise the security of all of its customers.” 

Dana Bash, CNN’s chief political correspondent, turned to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, noting that he initially said that “Apple isn’t necessarily wrong to refuse the court order.”

Rubio said that because the FBI made it “very clear” that the “only thing they are asking of Apple is that Apple allow them to use their own systems in the FBI to try to guess the password of the San Bernardino killer,” his position has changed, and he is now in favor of the FBI’s request.

[pull_quote_center]Apple initially came out saying, ‘We’re being ordered to create a back door to an encryption device.’ That is not accurate. The only thing they’re being asked to do, and the FBI made this very clear about 48 hours ago, is allow us to disable the self- destruct mode that’s in the Apple phone so that we can try to guess using our own systems what the password of this killer was. And I think they should comply with that.[/pull_quote_center]

[RELATED: Facebook, Twitter Among Companies Supporting Apple in Fight Against FBI]

Bash then turned to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and she asked him if he agrees with Cook who said that creating a backdoor for the iPhone “would be bad for America.”

Cruz cited similar points to Rubio’s, claiming that the FBI is not looking for the “backdoor” Cook mentioned, but is instead looking into the phone of a single terrorist, and because of that he believes “Apple doesn’t have a right to defy a valid court order in a terrorism investigation.”

[pull_quote_center]Apple should be forced to comply with this court order. Why? Because under the Fourth Amendment, a search and seizure is reasonable if it has judicial authorization and probable cause. In this instance, the order is not to put a back door in everyone’s cell phone. If that was the order, that order would be problematic because it would compromise security and safety for everyone.[/pull_quote_center]

[RELATED: Bill Gates Sides with FBI, Downplays Order to Create ‘Backdoor’ for iPhone]

When asked the same question, neurosurgeon Ben Carson gave a similar response, claiming that he expects “Apple to comply with the court order,” and if the company doesn’t, he believes it would encourage “chaos in our system.”

[pull_quote_center]I think allowing terrorists to get away with things is bad for America. We have a Constitution. We have a Fourth Amendment. It guards us against illegal and unreasonable search and seizure. But we have mechanisms in place with the judicial system that will allow us to gain material that is necessary to benefit the nation as a whole or the community as a whole. And that’s why we have FISA courts and things of that nature. [/pull_quote_center]

[RELATED: FBI Ordered Password Reset on San Bernardino Shooting Suspect’s iPhone]

Ohio Gov. John Kasich asked to add his input on the topic, and he said he blames the public fight between Apple and the FBI on the Obama administration, claiming that if he were president, they would be solving problems “instead of fighting on the front page of the newspaper.”

[pull_quote_center]The president of the United States should be convening a meeting, should have convened a meeting with Apple and our security forces. And then you know what you do when you’re the president? You lock the door and you say you’re not coming out until you reach an agreement that both gives the security people what they need and protects the rights of Americans.[/pull_quote_center]

While business mogul Donald Trump was not asked about the issue during Thursday’s debate, he made his position clear last week during a campaign rally when he said Americans should boycott Apple until the company agrees to “give that information” to the FBI.

“Apple ought to give the security for that phone,” Trump said. “What I think you ought to do is boycott Apple until such a time as they give that security number. How do you like that? I just thought of it. Boycott Apple.”

[RELATED: Reality Check: Why McAfee Says FBI Really Wants To End Encryption, Not Hack Just One iPhone]

During a recent Reality Check segment, Ben Swann interviewed John McAfee, a cybersecurity expert and the creator of McAfee security software, who offered to hack the San Bernardino shooting suspect’s phone for free.

McAfee said that if the FBI is being honest about their intentions to only retrieve information from the single phone, he and his team of hackers have offered to hack the suspect’s phone, and have said that they could do it in less than three weeks.

Reality Check: McAfee Claims FBI Wants To End All Encryption,…

Reality Check: McAfee Claims FBI Wants To End All Encryption, Not Just Hack One iPhone

Posted by Ben Swann on Tuesday, February 23, 2016

 

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Election, Marijuana Prohibition

Roger Stone Claims He Fired John Kasich from ’76 Reagan Campaign for Selling Pot

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At Wednesday night’s CNBC Republican presidential debate, Ohio Governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate John Kasich answered a question on marijuana legalization by saying, “Sending kids mixed signals about drugs is a disaster.” Following Kasich’s comment, former Donald Trump campaign adviser and Republican strategist Roger Stone issued a tweet calling the answer hypocritical and claiming that he once fired Kasich from Ronald Reagan’s 1976 presidential campaign for selling marijuana to field reps.

https://twitter.com/RogerJStoneJr/status/659546046771519488

Kasich’s campaign denied Stone’s claim and told reporters to check with political consultant Charlie Black, who also reportedly worked on Ronald Reagan’s 1976 campaign. Charlie Black told Cleveland.com that he had been Kasich’s supervisor in ’76, rather than Stone, and said Kasich “was very diligent” while campaigning for Reagan.

“This is the first time I ever heard anyone mention drugs in connection with John Kasich. He was not fired. He certainly was not fired for drugs,” said Black.

[RELATED: Ohio Recreational Pot Legalization Initiative Qualifies for Nov. 2015 Ballot]

Kasich reportedly responded to the claim himself in comments to BuzzFeed reporter Rosie Gray and said, “Look, it’s Roger Stone. He’s nuts.”

Roger Stone issued another tweet on Thursday morning, seen below, responding to Black’s denial of his claim.

https://twitter.com/RogerJStoneJr/status/659749151018586112

Stone, who has worked in high-level positions on several Republican presidential campaigns and who has been referred to as a “legendary political hitman” according to his own website, has a history of making statements that spark controversy.

[RELATED: Geraldo Threatens to Fight Trump Adviser Over Racial Tweets]

Governor Kasich, whose state of Ohio is currently considering a referendum that would legalize marijuana for recreational use, is a vocal opponent of pot legalization. MLive.com notes that he called legalization a “terrible idea” and said of the ballot initiative, “So some drugs are okay but others aren’t? We’ve got kids. Why don’t we just say don’t do drugs, period.”

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Election, Featured, Opinion, Politics

LOTFI: 8 Crucial Questions Before The Next GOP Debate

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CALIFORNIA, September 15, 2015– The first GOP debate hosted by Fox News was a game-changer. Some candidates shined, while others made mistakes they may not be able to recover from. Polls typically don’t have much weight this early on, but with the party using poll performance as qualifier to have a seat on the main stage, they carry more weight than usual. Yes, it’s still early, but with Labor Day having passed, campaign season is officially in full swing. Here are 8 crucial questions ahead of CNN’s Wednesday night debate at the Ronald Reagan library in California.

1.) Will Donald Trump even show?

Trump has threatened CNN that if they do not donate the proceeds from advertising dollars, then he’ll choose not to attend the debate. The way Trump sees it, CNN will take bundles of cash to the bank due to record-breaking viewership tuning in to see him, so he feels entitled to run the show. Either way, it’s a win for Trump. He’ll get just as many headlines if he doesn’t show as he would if he did. Not to mention the fact that his last debate performance wasn’t spectacular, so it could be a way for Trump to avoid policy while still stealing the publicity.

2.) Has Ted Cruz peaked? How will he deal with Huckabee?

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has struggled to capture more than 10 percent of the vote. In late April, Cruz had his best showing in the polls with an average of 11.3 percent. However, his support dropped below 5 percent before the first GOP debate. On the day of the debate, Cruz captured approximately 5.5 percent support. Post-debate, Cruz rode a small wave and managed to reach 7.3 percent, but is currently back down to 6.7 percent. That being said, Cruz has grassroots conservatives right where he wants them. Also, with former Texas Governor Rick Perry out of the race, Cruz could see a bump from voters in his home state. However, many believe that Cruz’s appeal is limited– especially when he has having to compete for the evangelical vote with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee whose campaign staff has literally blocked Cruz from speaking to the media so the Governor can steal the show. The best thing that could happen for Cruz would be for Huckabee to end his campaign. However, Huckabee isn’t likely to do so. After all, he’s just in it for another book deal. Even if Huckabee were to drop out, Cruz has a narrow path to victory with an even more narrow potential voter base to carry him there. Even so, it may behoove Cruz to call Huckabee out on being an avid supporter of Common Core. This could knock Huckabee down a few points and those folks would naturally migrate to Cruz.

3.) Will Carson take Trump’s place atop the post-debate polls?

In the first GOP debate, Dr. Ben Carson was cool, calm and collected. He managed to answer some tough questions. Your average policy-wonk wasn’t impressed with Carson’s responses, but what do they know? America loves Carson and they should. Unlike Donald Trump, Carson is even-tempered, has a kind heart and is a true outsider. While Trump’s supporters haven’t flocked to Carson just yet, Carson has made impressive gains in the polls. He’s even caught up to Trump in Iowa. During the first debate, Carson registered only 5.8 percent. Currently capturing 17.8 percent, he has jumped 12 points since then. As more Americans learn about Trump’s deep connections and financial ties to Washington, some Americans wanting an outsider to sit in the White House may see Carson a more suitable alternative. However, Carson will need to take a stand in the next debate. He has America’s attention, now it’s time to show us he has the guts to be America’s next Commander in Chief. As of today, Carson is only 12 points behind Trump.

4.) Can Jeb Bush defeat his worst enemy, himself?

Jeb Bush hit a high of 17.8 percent support in July. Since then, it’s been a downward spiral. By time the first debate aired, Bush had lost almost 5 points and Trump had taken over as the leading candidate. Speaking of the debate, Bush was a drag. Not a single pundit had a nice thing to say about his performance and America agreed. Post-debate, Bush shredded almost another 5 points and currently sits at 7.8 percent support. Many may like to blame Trump for Bush’s decline, but the only person responsible for Bush’s decline is Bush himself. What does it say about your strength as a candidate if a bombastic reality TV star can knock you off your perch in a matter of weeks? Bush needs to save himself in the CNN debate, and only he can do it.

5.) Can Rand Paul, Scott Walker and Chris Christie redeem themselves?

Pundits had high hopes for Senator Rand Paul, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, but each has fallen from grace. At one point, polls showed each of them in the lead for the party’s nomination. Paul is a tea party, libertarian leaning Republican from Kentucky who made it his mission to improve the GOP’s image with minorities, independents and youth. From a high of 17 percent, Paul currently captures only 2.7 percent. Some thought he may not even make it to the second debate. His first debate performance left many Republicans with a bad taste in their mouth. What’s worse is that Paul is now viewed as unfavorable by more than 40 percent of voters, while 30 percent have a favorable opinion and 30 percent are undecided. Those numbers continue to get worse for Paul. Meanwhile, Walker has struggled to define himself. Most insiders will tell you that Walker is no grassroots conservative and more closely aligns with the policies of Bush and Kasich. Regardless, Walker has set out to appease conservatives rather than establishment types. It’s a worthy strategy, but folks just aren’t buying it yet. Walker’s first debate performance was lackluster at best. Before the first debate, many didn’t know who Walker was. Post-debate, his poll numbers took a hit. Before the debate, Walker was polling at 10.6 percent which was down from an all time high of 16.6 percent. Today, he only captures 3.8 percent. Favorability is also an issue with Walker. In March, 26 percent of those polled had a favorable opinion of Walker. Today, that number remains unchanged. Meanwhile, in Mach, 27 percent had an unfavorable opinion of Walker. Today, 35 percent have a negative opinion of Walker. Regardless of Walker’s and Paul’s problems, they should both be thankful they aren’t Christie. At one point, Christie dominated the GOP field with 20 percent of the vote. Today, he only registers support from 2 percent of voters. Meanwhile, 50 percent of voters have a negative opinion of him while only 26 percent view him favorably.

6.) Will John Kasich continue his surge, or is it already over?

Establishment donors are looking to Ohio Governor John Kasich as a potential alternative to Jeb Bush should he continue to flop. Kasich announced his bid for the White House just before the first GOP debate and managed to wrestle himself a seat on the main stage. During the debate, Kasisch was charismatic and had a moderately high level of energy. Reaching a high of 5 percent on September 1, his performance resulted in a small bump. However, two weeks later, today Kasich is already back down to 3.5 percent. As long as Bush, Christie and Rubio are in the race, Kasich may not have much room to grow. In order to do so, he will need to separate himself from the other establishment candidates while simultaneously continuing to appeal their supporters in the next debate. No easy task.

7.) Will Carly Fiorina still stand out?

Maybe it was her responses, maybe it was because she was the only non-politician on stage, or maybe it was simply because she was the only woman. Regardless, Fiorina was sat at the kids’ table during the first debate, and she stuck out like a sore thumb. Fiorina impressed millions and thrust herself onto the main-stage for the 2nd debate. Before the first debate, Fiorina was barely registering in the polls. Today, with 4.3 percent support, she’s polling in 7th place. She remains the GOP’s only female candidate, so she’ll likely still stand out, but will that be enough? When she speaks, people will listen. Especially now since she is on the main stage. However, she’s no longer the only outsider on stage and that stage is much larger. Will she find a way to stand out now that she’s in the big leagues?

8.) Speaking of the kids table…

Is there room on the main stage for another underdog to join Fiorina in the big leagues? Probably not. Perry seemed to recognize this early on and was the first victim in the 2016 GOP primary. On September 11, Perry ended his campaign with grace. Meanwhile, it has become abundantly clear that Rick Santorum’s 2012 wave of support was nothing more than conservative repudiation to Mitt Romney becoming the nominee. He has failed to register more than 1 percent in the polls. Also, Senator Lindsey Graham has failed to register more than 1 percent in the polls and hasn’t even registered enough support in his own home state of South Carolina to qualify for a candidate forum. In addition, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Former New York Governor George Pataki have only registered 1 percent, which is enough to get them a seat at the kids’ table, but not enough to raise the money they need to keep their campaigns alive. Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore failed to even register 1 percent, and will not be allowed in the second under-card debate. If there was a candidate left from the kids’ table that had the political clout to pull up a seat to the main stage, it was probably Perry.

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Election, Politics

Fox News Announces Candidate Lineup for Aug. 6 GOP Presidential Debate

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Fox News has announced the candidates who qualified for its August 6 prime-time Republican presidential primary debate, which is set to kick off at 9 p.m. EST at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Anchors Chris Wallace, Bret Baier, and Megyn Kelly will moderate the televised event. Facebook and the Ohio Republican Party have been tapped as sponsors.

Candidates set to participate in the prime-time debate include billionaire Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Dr. Ben Carson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Fox News chose to limit its prime-time debate to only 10 participants and selected qualified candidates based on a top 10 average of 5 recent polls by Bloomberg, CBS News, Fox News, Quinnipiac University, and Monmouth University.

However, in response to complaints that serious candidates with low poll numbers are being left out of the top-tier debate, the news network has invited those who did not qualify to appear in a 60-minute junior varsity debate, moderated by Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum, which will appear on Fox News at 5 p.m. on August 6, prior to the prime-time contest. Those who fell short of the top 10 include former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Gov. George Pataki, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. The network’s prime-time debate pre-show coverage will begin immediately after the junior varsity debate.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry responded optimistically to his failure to qualify for the prime-time contest and tweeted, “I look forward to being @FoxNews 5pm debate for what will be a serious exchange of ideas & positive solutions to get America back on track.”

However, according to CNN, Matt Beynon, a spokesperson for former Sen. Rick Santorum, called the candidate selection process “incredibly flawed” and said, “While FOX is taking a lot of heat, the [Republican National Committee] deserves as much blame for sanctioning this process. They should not be picking winners and losers. That’s the job of the voters, particularly those in Iowa and New Hampshire who have the role of voting first.”

Following Fox News’ announcement, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said, “Our field is the biggest and most diverse of any party in history and I am glad to see that every one of those extremely qualified candidates will have the opportunity to participate on Thursday evening. Republicans across the country will be able to choose which candidate has earned their support after hearing them talk through the issues.”

Ohio Gov. John Kasich almost fell short of being chosen for the prime-time debate, which is taking place in his home state. However, his 3% polling average, tying him with Chris Christie for last place among those participating, was just enough to qualify.

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Election, Politics

14 GOP Presidential Hopefuls to Face Off in Aug. 3 Forum on C-SPAN, Trump Not Attending

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The New Hampshire Union Leader has launched a C-SPAN-televised August 3 forum for 2016 Republican presidential candidates, and 14 candidates have confirmed their participation. The question-and-answer style event, which is not an official Republican National Committee-sanctioned presidential debate, will take place at the Dana Center at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. at 7 p.m. EST and is scheduled to run for two hours.

The Voters First Republican Presidential Forum was launched by the New Hampshire Union Leader in response to a rising chorus of complaints over Fox News’ decision to exclude candidates with low poll numbers from its August 6 prime time debate at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

“Fox has said it will serve as the first primary and ‘winnow’ the field on Aug. 6. We and our partners think the voters of our states should continue to play that role. Our forum will give voters a chance to see the larger field of candidates and will give the voters a chance to have their issues addressed,” said New Hampshire Union Leader publisher Joseph W. McQuaid.

[RELATED: Fox News Moves Second-Tier GOP Presidential Debate to More Visible Time Slot]

The New Hampshire forum is currently set to feature all of the currently-announced prominent Republican candidates save for two, Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee. Huckabee’s absence from the list of participating candidates was not explained by the Union Leader, so it could be possible that he will confirm his participation at a later time. Candidates set to participate include Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Rick Perry, Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, and George Pataki.

According to the Union Leader, “Candidate Trump bowed out because, an aide said, he was upset with a Union Leader editorial this week that mocked him for saying that U.S. Sen. John McCain was not a war hero. McCain, shot down by the North Vietnamese, suffered years of torture after refusing to be released early because his father was an admiral.”

Last Tuesday, billionaire Donald Trump reportedly wrote a letter to McQuaid explaining his refusal to participate, which read, “…knowing you as I do, I feel it is unlikely I will be getting the endorsement from you and the Union Leader. I have made a great fortune based on instinct and that, unfortunately, is my view. Therefore, and for other reasons including the fact that I feel there are too many people onstage to have a proper forum, I will not be attending.”

The forum will be moderated by WGIR radio personality Jack Heath. According to the Union Leader, “The Voters First Forum is being co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Union Leader, the Charleston, S.C., Post and Courier, and the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gazette. Broadcast co-sponsors are iHeart radio, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids; and WLTX-TV in Columbia, S.C. The forum will be broadcast nationally by C-SPAN. New England viewers will be able to watch on NECN. It will be broadcast locally by NH1/WBIN-TV in New Hampshire, as well as by the South Carolina and Iowa stations. It will also air live on NHPR.”

Event organizers are asking the public to submit suggestions of issues to discuss at the forum.

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