Media

Nearly 2/3 Of Dems Approve Of Presidential Candidates Having Fox News Town Halls

Mike Brest Reporter
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Nearly two-thirds of Democrats approve of presidential candidates having town halls on Fox News, according to a new Morning Consult/Politico poll released Wednesday.

Of the Democrats surveyed, 64% believe that it’s either “very appropriate” or “somewhat appropriate” for a Democratic candidate to go on the conservative network, whereas only 17% believe it’s either “somewhat” or “very inappropriate.”

The poll offers insight into what’s recently been a hot topic: whether or not Democratic candidates go on Fox News.

Thus far, independent Vermont Sen. Bernie SandersMinnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg have already hosted a town hall on the network. The ratings for Sanders’ appearance ranks first among presidential town halls this election cycle on any of the cable networks, while Klobuchar comes in at third. Buttigieg trailed behind them both because his took place on the weekend.

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is scheduled to have one during the first week in June.

Others, including California Rep. Eric Swalwell and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke have expressed a desire to participate in the event.

Fellow presidential candidate Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced last week that she would not host a presidential town hall on Fox News claiming it is “a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists.”

“Hate-for-profit works only if there’s profit, so Fox News balances a mix of bigotry, racism, and outright lies with enough legit journalism to make the claim to advertisers that it’s a reputable news outlet. It’s all about dragging in ad money—big ad money,” she continued. “But Fox News is struggling as more and more advertisers pull out of their hate-filled space. A Democratic town hall gives the Fox News sales team a way to tell potential sponsors it’s safe to buy ads on Fox—no harm to their brand or reputation (spoiler: It’s not).”

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