Iowa governor: Open up GOP debates

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) is joining the Republicans criticizing GOP debate criteria, calling for candidates to be randomly grouped in the debates.

“If there’s this many candidates, why not have two panels and let them randomly select who’s on each panel?” Branstad asked Monday, according to Radio Iowa.

“So then the public gets to see all the candidates, and you don’t limit it by who’s got the most money and that sort of thing,” he added.

Branstad said he plans to reach out to RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes to discuss the issues.

The Iowa governor is adding his voice to the call from more than 50 influential Republicans in New Hampshire, another early voting state, who wrote Fox News and the RNC last week pushing for an expanded platform.

Fox News responded by announcing it would host a forum hours before the Aug. 6 debate for candidates not in the top 10 based on polling averages from five of the most recent national surveys.

CNN will hold the second GOP debate in September. It has said that debate will be broken into two parts — one for those who are in the top 10 in recent polling, and another for those who pull at least 1 percent in public polling.

A CNN spokeswoman told The Associated Press the format “will allow all of the Republican presidential candidates, who meet the eligibility criteria, an opportunity to discuss their visions for the future.”

Networks have faced challenges working to accommodate the size of the 2016 GOP field, which is the most crowded presidential crop in recent memory.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) became the 11th declared candidate Monday, and businessman Donald Trump, who has been flirting with throwing his hat into the ring, will make an announcement on Tuesday. Several more candidates are expected to enter the race soon.