GOP primaries

Fiorina on debate: ‘The game is rigged’

by Harper Neidig 02/06/16 11:59 AM ET

Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina on Friday attacked the Republican National Committee and ABC for excluding her from Saturday night’s debate, saying that it’s unfair for New Hampshire voters.

“It is a rigged game, and it is rigged against the voters of New Hampshire because they won’t have all of the options and all of the choices that they deserve,” Fiorina said to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

{mosads}“Basically, what this process says is that votes don’t count — the votes of Iowa caucus-goers don’t count because I beat people on the main stage in Iowa in votes and delegates,” she continued.

“The voters of New Hampshire know that there are people trying to take away their first in the nation primary status, and I think this is an example of that,” Fiorina added later.

The debate will be the last chance the candidates will have to confront each other before the New Hampshire primary. It will be the first Republican debate without an undercard portion.

Fiorina did not meet the criteria that ABC established for inclusion on the main stage: either placing in the top three in the Iowa caucus, or polling in the top six nationally or in New Hampshire.

She vowed not to let the setback stop her from campaigning.

“I don’t ever stop fighting, and I’m not stopping the fight with this, and I am going to keep going and I am going to leave and keep going beyond New Hampshire,” she said.

GOP presidential rivals Ben Carson and Ted Cruz, as well as 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, have all called on ABC to include Fiorina.