Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Ted Cruz during a previous Republican primary debate. | AP Photo CNN sets debate criteria using Iowa, New Hampshire polls Christie gets on main stage but Paul's on the bubble.

The criteria for CNN’s Dec. 15 presidential debate include a new way for candidates to make the stage: early-state polling strength.

Candidates can qualify for the debate through one of three ways: polling averages nationally, in Iowa, and in New Hampshire.


While every previous debate has only used national polling, candidates who average at least 4 percent in either Iowa or New Hampshire polls will make the stage in Las Vegas, according to the standards CNN released Friday. Candidates who average at least 3.5 percent in national polls between Oct. 29 and Dec. 13 will also qualify.

According to CNN, nine candidates would currently make the cut: Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina and Chris Christie.

Christie missed the last main Republican debate, but he has always polled more strongly in New Hampshire than elsewhere. Christie has not gotten less than 5 percent in any of the qualifying polls. Carly Fiorina's and Sen. Rand Paul's numbers place them on the bubble, making them the two candidates most in danger of falling to the undercard debate stage.

It’s the first time this cycle a debate criteria has incorporated early state polling, something several lower-tiered candidates have been demanding for weeks. Gov. Bobby Jindal, who dropped out of the race earlier this week, was one of the loudest voices for including early state polling to be included in debate criteria for months, since he routinely performed far better in Iowa polls than in national polls. Jindal would have made the main stage debate if his polling average in Iowa stayed as it was as of Friday.

The decision to incorporate early state polling was wholly CNN's and not one suggested directly by the RNC or another group, a CNN source said. The campaign, the source said, is being waged nationally and in New Hampshire and Iowa, where candidates have been spending most of their time and money.

"The Chairman has been an advocate of including early state polling," said Sean Spicer, RNC's chief strategist and director of communications.

The undercard debate will also live on, despite some calls among Republicans to begin phasing this out. Candidates who reach at least 1 percent in four separate Iowa, New Hampshire or national polls will make the earlier debate.

As of Friday, that stage will be made up of Gov. Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and two candidates who missed the last GOP debate entirely, Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Gov. George Pataki. As of Friday, Gov. Jim Gilmore did not qualify for either stage.

CNN, which is hosting the debate alongside Facebook and Salem Media, also announced that anchor Wolf Blitzer would be the moderator at the Las Vegas debate, joined by correspondent Dana Bash and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. Both Hewitt and Bash participated in the first CNN GOP debate, which was moderated by anchor Jake Tapper.

This will be the first GOP debate since the terrorist attacks in Paris, France. And with Blitzer, known for his foreign policy chops, as moderator, candidates can expect a heavy dose of foreign policy questions. Candidates, the CNN source suggested, should be prepared for this debate to be the "Commander in Chief" debate.

Scott Bland contributed.

