Republicans Party Drops Its Affiliation for Fox News' Forum

The Fox News Channel has always had the stigma of being a conservative news network despite its motto "fair and balanced". Many Democratic presidential candidates have refused to appear on the station because of its apparent conservative bias, with the exception of Dennis Kucinich. Prominent Republican presidential candidates such as Rudy Giuliani and John McCain have appeared on the Fox News Channel countless times. But why is the New Hampshire Republican Party now refusing to sponsor in Fox News' forum?

Fox News did not invite Ron Paul or Duncan Hunter to its debate, which has drawn controversy from many Republicans. Those who were invited were Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, and Rudy Giuliani. The New Hampshire Republican Party tried to reach an agreement with Fox News Channel to allow Paul and Hunter to appear. However, that attempt failed, which has resulted in the New Hampshire Republican Party to withdraw its sponsorship from the forum. This forum is the last chance for Republican candidates to get their message out in New Hampshire on television before the January 8th primary.

Fox News did not disclose how it chose the candidates. Some have speculated that they were chosen if they had at least ten percent or more in the national polls. However, Paul carried about ten percent of the votes during the Iowa caucus, which demonstrates he still is a viable candidate for the Republicans.

Kevin Anderson, a political science student, says this is smart for the New Hampshire Republican party. "They have always been closely connected with the Fox News Channel, and the network wanted to say what candidate could run. It was good for the party to stand up to the station and say no to them. The party definitely feels that it is up to the people to decide who they want to run, not some television station."