Candidate 
  Criteria 
  for 
  September 
  16, 
  2015 
  CNN-­‐Ronald 
  Reagan 
  Presidential 
  Library 
  
Republican 
  Presidential 
  Primary 
  Debate 
  
 
   
  
To 
  receive 
  an 
  invitation 
  to 
  the 
  September 
  16, 
  2015 
  Republican 
  Presidential 
  Primary 
  
Debate, 
  a 
  candidate 
  must 
  satisfy 
  the 
  following 
  criteria: 
  
 
   
  
1. 
   
   
   
   
  Fulfill 
  the 
  requirements 
  outlined 
  in 
  Article 
  II, 
  Section 
  1 
  of 
  the 
  Constitution 
  of 
  the 
  
United 
  States 
  
2. 
   
   
   
   
  File 
  a 
  Statement 
  of 
  Candidacy 
  and 
  register 
  with 
  the 
  Federal 
  Election 
  Commission 
  by 
  
August 
  26, 
  2015 
   
  
3. 
   
   
   
   
  Achieve 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  percent 
  in 
  three 
  national 
  polls 
  from 
  among 
  
those 
  that 
  are 
  recognized 
  in 
  this 
  document. 
  Recognized 
  polls 
  must 
  be 
  released 
  between 
  
July 
  16, 
  2015 
  and 
  September 
  10th, 
  2015. 
  
4. 
   
   
   
  Have 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  paid 
  campaign 
  aide 
  working 
  in 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  
“early 
  voting 
  states” 
  designated 
  by 
  the 
  Republican 
  National 
  Committee: 
  Iowa, 
  Nevada, 
  
New 
  Hampshire, 
  South 
  Carolina 
  -­‐-­‐ 
  no 
  later 
  than 
  August 
  26, 
  2015 
  
5. 
   
   
   
   
  Visited 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  “early 
  voting 
  states” 
  designated 
  by 
  the 
  Republican 
  National 
  
Committee 
  at 
  least 
  once 
  -­‐-­‐ 
  no 
  later 
  than 
  August 
  26, 
  2015 
  
6. 
   
   
   
   
  Agree 
  to 
  accept 
  the 
  rules 
  and 
  format 
  of 
  the 
  debate 
  
 
   
  
7. 
   
   
   
   
  The 
  first 
  10 
  candidates 
  – 
  ranked 
  from 
  highest 
  to 
  lowest 
  in 
  polling 
  order 
  from 
  an 
  
average 
  of 
  all 
  qualifying 
  polls 
  released 
  between 
  July 
  16 
  and 
  September 
  10 
  who 
  satisfy 
  
the 
  criteria 
  requirements 
  outlined 
  in 
  this 
  document 
  -­‐-­‐ 
  will 
  be 
  invited 
  to 
  participate 
  in 
  
“Segment 
  B” 
  of 
  the 
  September 
  16, 
  2015 
  Republican 
  Presidential 
  Primary 
  Debate. 
  In 
  the 
  
event 
  of 
  a 
  tie 
  for 
  10th 
  place, 
  the 
  tie-­‐breaker 
  will 
  be 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  all 
  qualifying 
  polls 
  
released 
  between 
  August 
  26 
  and 
  September 
  10. 
  The 
  second 
  tie-­‐breaker 
  will 
  be 
  an 
  
average 
  of 
  all 
  qualifying 
  polling 
  conducted 
  in 
  Iowa, 
  New 
  Hampshire, 
  South 
  Carolina 
  and 
  
Nevada 
  released 
  between 
  July 
  16 
  and 
  September 
  10. 
  
 
   
  
7a. 
  In 
  the 
  event 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  candidate 
  (or 
  candidates) 
  polling 
  in 
  the 
  top 
  ten 
  in 
  
qualifying 
  polls 
  between 
  August 
  7 
  and 
  September 
  10, 
  but 
  not 
  polling 
  in 
  the 
  top 
  ten 
  in 
  
polls 
  between 
  July 
  16 
  and 
  September 
  10, 
  that 
  candidate 
  (or 
  candidates) 
  will 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  
the 
  debate 
  stage 
  and 
  will 
  appear 
  in 
  “Segment 
  B” 
  of 
  the 
  debate. 
  
 
   
  
8. 
   
   
   
   
  Candidates 
  who 
  satisfy 
  the 
  criteria 
  and 
  achieve 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  percent 
  
in 
  three 
  national 
  polls, 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  ranked 
  in 
  the 
  top 
  10 
  of 
  polling 
  order 
  will 
  be 
  invited 
  to 
  
participate 
  in 
  “Segment 
  A” 
  of 
  the 
  September 
  16, 
  2015 
  Republican 
  Presidential 
  Primary 
  
Debate. 
  
 
   
  
Polling 
  Criteria 
  
 
   
  
Polling 
  data 
  will 
  only 
  be 
  considered 
  for 
  live 
  interviewer 
  national 
  polls 
  sponsored 
  by 
  the 
  
following 
  sources 
  to 
  determine 
  eligibility 
  for 
  the 
  September 
  16, 
  2015 
  Republican 
  
Presidential 
  Primary 
  Debate: 
  ABC/The 
  Washington 
  Post, 
  Bloomberg, 
  CBS/The 
  New 
  York 
  

 Times, 
  CNN, 
  FOX, 
  Gallup, 
  Marist, 
  McClatchy, 
  Monmouth 
  University, 
  NBC/The 
  Wall 
  
Street 
  Journal, 
  Pew, 
  Quinnipiac, 
  USA 
  Today, 
  Time. 
  For 
  the 
  second 
  tie-­‐breaker, 
  qualifying 
  
polling 
  includes 
  all 
  live 
  interviewer 
  polls 
  in 
  Iowa, 
  New 
  Hampshire, 
  South 
  Carolina 
  and 
  
Nevada 
  conducted 
  by 
  organizations 
  listed 
  above 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  those 
  sponsored 
  or 
  
conducted 
  by 
  Clemson 
  University, 
  the 
  Des 
  Moines 
  Register, 
  the 
  Las 
  Vegas 
  Review-­‐
Journal, 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  New 
  Hampshire, 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Nevada 
  Las 
  Vegas, 
  Winthrop 
  
University. 
  To 
  determine 
  eligibility, 
  poll 
  averages 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  rounded 
  up 
  or 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  
closest 
  whole 
  number.