CNN's Anderson Cooper and Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly are the top choices voters want to see moderate the presidential debates, according to a survey by Morning Consult.
Cooper was favored by 34 percent of respondents, compared to 25 percent for Kelly. "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace was third with 22 percent, followed by former "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer at 17 percent and CNN's Wolf Blitzer at 16 percent.
Schieffer has moderated debates in the past three election cycles. He retired from his longtime duties at CBS in 2015.
The three debates are scheduled for Sept. 26, Oct. 9 and Oct. 19, but no moderators have been announced by the Commission on Presidential Debates, and no announcement is expected until after Labor Day. One reason for the delay is over fear that Republican nominee Donald Trump will attack them for being biased against him, according to a report by CNN.
Cooper was popular with independents and Democrats, who chose each at about 40 percent. Only half that percentage of Republicans favored him.
Even though Kelly and Trump had a famous dustup following the first GOP debate in August 2015, she was still popular with Trump supporters, as 32 percent favored having her moderate a debate with Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Only 18 percent of Clinton backers preferred Kelly.
The poll talked to 2,007 registered voters Aug. 24-26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Here is a more complete list of responses:
- Anderson Cooper (CNN) 34%
- Megyn Kelly (FOX) 25%
- Chris Wallace (FOX) 22%
- Bob Schieffer (CBS) 17%
- Lester Holt (NBC) 16%
- Wolf Blitzer (CNN) 16%
- Neil Cavuto (FOX) 12%
- Bret Baier (FOX) 11%
- Other 11%
- Rachel Maddow (MSNBC) 10%
- Martha Raddatz (ABC) 8%
- Chuck Todd (NBC) 7%
- Chris Cuomo (CNN) 6%
- George Stephanopoulos (ABC) 5%
- Don Lemon (CNN) 5%
- John Dickerson (CBS) 4%
- Dana Bash (CNN) 4%
- Jake Tapper (CNN) 4%
- Becky Quick (CNBC) 3%
- Hugh Hewitt (Salem) 3%
- Gwen Ifill (PBS) 3%
- Carl Quintanilla (CNBC) 3%
- John Harwood (CNBC) 2%
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