Iowa, New Hampshire polls part of debate criteria

For candidates to make the main stage at the December 15 debate in Las Vegas, Nevada they will have to average 3.5 percent support in qualifying national polls between October 29 and December 13. Fox Business Network required main stage qualifiers to average at least 2.5 percent in four polls taken just before the debate. While it's likely going to be an inexact match for how CNN considers the polls, Pollster's customization tools allow for the creation of charts that will roughly track how the candidates are performing under this criteria nationally, and in Iowa and New Hampshire.

If polling cut off today, Christie would join Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Florida Sen.

While the new rules bring Christie back onto the main stage after falling to the undercard during November's Fox Business News debate, former Gov. Mike Huckabee (Ark.), who also dropped down to that second-tier debate, does not now qualify to move back into the main event.

Paul is closest to getting bumped, CNN says.

CNN has announced the new debate criteria for the network's December 15 Republican debate. Marco Rubio, Texas Sen.

"Paul is on the bubble for the debate", said CNN's Mark Preston.

There was controversy about qualifiers for the November debate. The truth, though, is that these may well be the most generous criteria that we've seen from any of the debates so far. A few have argued that polling numbers in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire are better indicators of how candidates are doing than national polls, since the party's presidential nominee is chosen through a series of state-by-state primaries and caucuses. Meanwhile, Gov. Jim Gilmore would not qualify for either stage.