Will Carly Fiorina Make the Cut for CNN's Debate?

Carly Fiorina seems to have benefited most from the first GOP presidential debate, catapulting from the also-ran tier to a serious contender. However, her recent boost in the polls may not be enough to warrant inclusion in the CNN debate scheduled for September. From The Hill:

The CNN debate methodology, released earlier this year, weighs polls from July 16 to Sept. 10.

The use of the earlier surveys will hurt the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, who barely registered in the polls before the Aug. 6 Fox News debate. But since then, she has seen a significant bounce.

“It acts as sort of an anchor on those people who had done poorly early and a bit of a parachute for those people who have done well early,” said Cliff Zukin, a Rutgers University political scientist and former president of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

The criteria could also protect Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) from sliding out of the top 10 despite his recent dip in polls.

It seems unlikely that the debate criteria will change, or that Fiorina will perform well enough in future polls to make the cut.