The original rules of the debate were unfair. That original rules put in place by CNN would use an average of national polling from July 16 - September 10 to determine who the top ten candidates on the debate stage would be. This would make it impossible for candidates who surged after the Cleveland debate, such Carly Fiorina to make it to the main debate. Polls taken prior to the first debate should have never been considered in the first place for candidate placement in the upcoming CNN debate.
The new CNN debate rules are: The top ten for the debate will still be determined by an average of polls taken from July 16 - September 10. CNN will also look at the average of polls taken after the Cleveland debate, if any candidates make the top ten in the post debate average polls who did not make it in the average of July 16 - September 10 poll average, they will also be added to the debate stage.
So based on the two averages, the following candidates are expected as of now to make the debate, the list could potentially change as more polls are released over the next few days: (Please also be aware that the list of candidate below is in no particular order, CNN has not yet released the order for the candidate on the Debate stage)
- Donald Trump
- Jeb Bush
- Scott Walker
- Ben Carson
- Ted Cruz
- Marco Rubio
- Mike Huckabee
- Rand Paul
- John Kasich
- Chris Christie
- Carly Fiorina