GOP Candidate Karger Claims Fox News is Shutting Him Out of Iowa Debate

Laguna Beach resident and current Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger says that his recent numbers in several polls meet Fox News' criteria for his inclusion in this Thursday's Fox-sponsored candidate debate, set to take place in Ames, Iowa at 6 p.m. Pacific time.

But according to Karger, Fox is moving the goalposts, changing the debate rules to exclude him. Karger is the first gay Republican to run for the highest office in the land.

To qualify for Thursday's debate under Fox's own rules, each candidate, by 2 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, August 9, must:

1. Be registered with the Federal Elections Commission as a presidential exploratory committee or presidential campaign.

2. Meet all U.S. Constitutional requirements.

3. Have garnered at least an average of one percent in five national polls based on most recent polling leading up to the registration day.

Karger says he meets all these requirements. He polled 2% in a Harris poll released this past Thursday, and 1% in several other polls, matching the numbers of better-known candidates like Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.

However, Fox News vice president Michael Clemente says that each of the polls cited by Karger are either online, interactive or out of date and do not qualify for the purpose of meeting the debate criteria.

"I just sent out a rather terse letter to Michael Clemente in response," Karger told Laguna Beach Patch. "His ruling is completely unsubstantiated, and we threatened them with action from the Federal Election Commision.

"(Clemente) said I had to be in five recent polls, but he said the ones I were named in didn't count ecause they were online or out of date. But when (former New Mexico governor) Gary Johnson was let in to the South Carolina debates, they went back five months to allow him in."

How far is Karger willing to go to be invited into a tent that others may not necessarily want to share with him?

"I'm going to take it as far as necessary," Karger continues. "Besides, I think I'd be good for ratings on Fox. I'd certain liven up the dull field."

Set to appear at Thursday's debate are candidates Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Thaddeus McCotter, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

Karger may be locked out for now, but he's fighting back. He launched a public petition drive today demanding he be allowed in to the debate. The petition has garnered nearly 1,000 signatures in just a few hours.

The stiff-arming from his own party is something Karger clearly anticipated, which is why he recently also launched a second website, LetFredIn.com, designed to rally support.

Watch an from a Laguna Beach fundraiser for Karger, held a few weeks back.