Despite his rising popularity and top rankings in post-debate online polls, Ron Paul was excluded from the upcoming Iowa presidential candidates forum hosted by Iowans for Tax Relief and the Iowa Christian Alliance. The forum, scheduled for June 30th in Des Moines, will feature Republican candidates Mitt Romney, Sam Brownback, Jim Gilmore, Mike Huckabee, Tommy Thompson, and Tom Tancredo—but not Ron Paul.
The reason? He wasn’t invited.
After hearing from supporters who assumed Dr. Paul would participate, the campaign office reached out to the organizers. Campaign manager Lew Moore contacted Edward Failor, an officer of Iowans for Tax Relief, and was informed that Dr. Paul was not invited and would not be allowed to participate. When asked for an explanation, Mr. Failor refused to provide one and ended the call.
Attempts to reach Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Christian Alliance, were unsuccessful, as Mr. Scheffler did not return Moore’s call.
This exclusion raises significant questions: Why is Ron Paul, who topped post-debate polls from MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN, being denied the chance to speak at this forum? Why are Iowans being prevented from hearing from a Republican candidate whose support continues to grow?
Ironically, on the same day the campaign learned of his exclusion from the Iowa forum, ABC News confirmed Ron Paul’s participation in its nationally broadcast debate in Des Moines on August 5th.
If you’re as perplexed by this decision as Ron Paul’s supporters, feel free to contact the organizers and ask them why Ron Paul was left out of this important forum.
