Fox News Channel, which will host the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6, announced on Wednesday that only the top 10 candidates will be allowed to take the stage.
Anywhere from 15 to 20 candidates are expected to seek the GOP nomination, and Fox indicated it would give "additional coverage and airtime" during the day of the debate to those who are excluded.
Fox said it would use an average of the five most recent national polls to determine the top 10, and said that more than 10 might participate in the event of a tie.
"We support and respect the decision Fox has made,"
The Wall Street Journal quoted Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus as saying.
Priebus has said the party wants to avoid the large number of debating candidates that were seen in 2012, and has indicated he would be OK with limits such as Fox has laid out.
Up to nine candidates participated in some of the 2012 GOP debates, the Journal noted.
The Fox debate will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, and will be moderated by Fox News anchors Bret Baier, Chris Wallace and Megyn Kelly.
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