FOX News Cancels Televised Forum With Candidates for Speaker of the House

FOX News was planning to hold a televised forum with three candidates running to replace Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House but the event was cancelled shortly after it was announced.

Members of the House GOP were not thrilled with the idea and the candidates eventually pulled out.

This was probably a smart move.

The Hill reported:

Televised Fox News Speaker forum called off after candidates pull out

Plans for a televised Fox News forum with three contenders for House Speaker fell apart soon after they were announced.

Host Bret Baier was slated to have House Majority Leader Scalise (R-La.), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) for a Monday event that Fox News billed as a “joint interview” rather than a debate.

But the unusual move — nationalizing an internal GOP conference decision — prompted backlash from GOP members, and changes to the plans

A spokesperson for Jordan first said he wanted to adjust the schedule so that the candidates talk to the GOP conference first. The conference is scheduled to host a closed-door forum Tuesday.

“Mr. Jordan is always happy to share his plan for the country, but he believes it is crucial to meet with the GOP conference before the event,” a spokesperson for the Ohio lawmaker said in a statement first shared with CNN.

People are talking about this on Twitter:

House Republicans should have enough sense by now to make decisions without playing to the whims of hostile media. If they truly cared about the American people, they would forgo the televised side show & vote to approve Jordan. #Republicans #Speaker https://t.co/rJKKj6BwBO

— Dr. Carol M. Swain (@carolmswain) October 6, 2023

I will not be participating in the televised debate,” Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern wrote on X hours after the event was announced.
“We need to make this decision as a conference, not on TV.
The Republican conference needs a family discussion.”
https://t.co/TldRAwkSq2

— Marc (@servantmarcus) October 6, 2023

A planned Fox News forum with 3 potential speaker candidates (Scalise and Jordan, plus Hern, who has not declared), is off, multiple sources tell NBC. “A lot of members pissed that this could play out so publicly when they want to solve this behind closed doors,” a source said.

— Rebecca Kaplan (@RebeccaRKaplan) October 6, 2023

Not everything that happens in DC needs to be made into a cable TV event.