With 14 declared presidential candidates, it is no wonder that the Democratic National Committee is busy structuring debates for the hopefuls. The bouts begin in June, and they could be jumbo in size, each designed to accommodate up to 20 candidates. So far, the Democrats have awarded the broadcast honors to CNN, NBC/MSNBC and Telemundo.
But what about Fox News? The network has not hosted a Democratic debate in 15 years, despite the fact that it has commanded the largest audiences among the cable news channels since 2002.
The network has submitted proposals to Democratic officials to broadcast a debate, according to Hollywood Reporter political writer Jeremy Barr — and well-known conservatives would like to see the network succeed.
“Prominent conservatives surveyed at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference are hoping the Democratic National Committee agrees to the ’persuasive proposal’ Fox News has submitted,” Mr. Barr wrote.
“You would think that if you want to try to win a national election, you would want the entire nation to see what it is that your candidates are offering,” advised Marc Lotter, a former special assistant to President Trump who now runs strategic communications for his re-election campaign.
Rick Santorum pointed out that the Republican Party has granted debate broadcasts to MSNBC in the past.
American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp suggested that Fox News anchor Bret Baier — with his concentration on news rather than opinion — might be a good choice to helm a Democratic debate.
“The decision is not an easy one. Progressives have already chafed at the possibility of doing business with a conservative television network reviled on the political left, though 2020 candidates Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand have recently sat for interviews,” Mr. Barr said.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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