--- title: Rand Paul Says He Will Not Participate in Undercard Debate description: The Kentucky Senator argues that poll numbers shouldn't be the only qualifiers for debates. canonical: https://time.com/4160356/rand-paul-debates-undercard/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-23T18:43:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:26.084Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rand Paul Says He Will Not Participate in Undercard Debate og:description: The Kentucky Senator argues that poll numbers shouldn't be the only qualifiers. og:url: https://time.com/4160356/rand-paul-debates-undercard/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt007d54ba281966f3/698876c6e20a871893a8ecda/rand-paul3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4928 og:image:height: 2772 og:image:alt: Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rand Paul Says He Will Not Participate in Undercard Debate twitter:description: The Kentucky Senator argues that poll numbers shouldn't be the only qualifiers. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt007d54ba281966f3/698876c6e20a871893a8ecda/rand-paul3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Rand Paul Says He Will Not Participate in Undercard Debate > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Watch the Fifth Republican Debate In Four Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch the Fifth Republican Debate In Four Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mQUMUx2k.m3u8) (4:00)  _Published 2015-12-16. Nine Republican presidential candidates faced off for the fifth Republican debate on CNN_ by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Dec 23, 2015 6:43 PM UTC  Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul speaks with the media at the Pints for Liberty event at Rat River Brewery in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 7, 2015. Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul speaks with the media at the Pints for Liberty event at Rat River Brewery in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 7, 2015.Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Dec 23, 2015 6:43 PM UTC Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said Wednesday that he would [refuse to participate in a “second-tier” debate](http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/rand-paul-i-wont-participate-in-undercard-debate?utm%5Fterm=.bdbjr0n3m7#.lbkm06OV4d) if he does not qualify for the main stage at the Fox Business Network debate. Paul, who polled at 4% in a survey released Wednesday, could be sent to the undercard debate, Politico reported Tuesday, along with Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina. Paul was not too pleased with the prospect that his campaign had lost steam. “I won’t participate in any kind of second-tier debate,” he said on Fox News Radio’s [_Kilmeade and Friends_](https://soundcloud.com/buzzfeedandrew/rand-paul-on-kilmeade-and-friends-1). “We’ve got a first-tier campaign. I’ve got 800 precinct chairman in Iowa. I’ve got a 100 people on the ground working for me. I’ve raised 25 million dollars. I’m not gonna let any network or anybody tell me we’re not a first-tier campaign. If you tell a campaign with three weeks to go that they’re in the second-tier, you destroy the campaign. This isn’t the job of the media to pick who wins. The voters ought to get a chance.” Paul said that a shrinking main debate stage lays “it up in a lap” for front-runner Donald Trump, arguing that he is the only one on stage that can challenge the real estate mogul. He said that regardless of the viewership numbers for the undercard debate, it was about the perception of his campaign not being competitive. “It’s the kids table and at that table you’re not considered to be a competitor,” Paul said. “Not considered to be having a chance.” Rather than rely on what he called imprecise polling to determine who gets on stage, Paul argued that fundraising and organization should be qualifiers. “Without question, we have a first-tier campaign and we just can’t accept the designation of being artificially told that we don’t have a chance with three weeks ago. So we won’t stand for it and we will protest any such designation,” he said. **Read Next:** [_Donald Trump Dominates Republican Field in Latest Poll_](http://time.com/4159958/donald-trump-poll/?xid=homepage) ### Rand Paul's Unusual Fashion Sense  Politicians love to roll up the sleeves on their button-down shirts while out campaigning, but Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is one of the few to head straight for the short-sleeve shirt when on the stump. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Paul is also comfortable with a short-sleeve shirt and khakis, a more casual look also favored by his father, at right. Charles Dharapak—AP  While out campaigning, Paul also sometimes goes for a more Western look, pairing blue jeans with cowboy boots. Charles Ommanney—Getty Images  He's also been known to use jeans to make a more classic political combo of button-down shirt and power tie seem less formal. Richard Ellis—Getty Images  At other times, he'll make his outfit less formal by skipping the tie... James Crisp—AP  …or wearing a tie with a bold, fun pattern... Scott Olson—Getty Images  …or by going with a more daring color of shirt... Sonia Moskowitz—Getty Images  …or wearing a sweater on top... Stephen Lance Dennee—AP  …or just wearing a turtleneck. Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images  At times, Paul has been extremely casual. Hunter Wilson—AP  But at other times, he dressed in the standard Washington fare. Mark Wilson—Getty Images  And he's been known to favor a formal winter coat too. Win McNamee—Getty Images  But even when he does dress up, Paul often finds a way to make the look his own, such as with a pair of sunglasses. Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images  Sunglasses may also just be a favored accessory because he is an eye doctor. Melina Mara—Washington Post/Getty Images  But whatever he's wearing, Paul finds a way to make it his own. 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