GOP LIMITS FIELD IN 6TH DISTRICT DEBATE

The Republican Party has scheduled a series of debates ahead of the special election to fill the congressional seat Tom Price vacated to become the U.S. secretary of health and human services.

But less than half of the 11 GOP candidates will be able to participate in the events, which begin Sunday.

Five of the candidates will be permitted to debate, based on their showings in “publicly documented, credible polls.” The five will be identified Friday.

“Career statisticians have been commissioned to make the determination of which 5 candidates will participate,” a notice states on the 6th District GOP Facebook page.

At least three of the 11 GOP candidates — in a field that also features five Democratic hopefuls and two independents — are sounding off about their potential exclusion from the debates.

GOP candidates Keith Grawert, Amy Kremer and Kurt Wilson issued a joint press release criticizing the culling.

“Each of the eleven GOP candidates were required to meet the same qualifying requirements, and each did. Each candidate has campaigned tirelessly in a short period of time to share their platforms with the community and earn votes.

“Since this is a special election, there is no primary cycle to narrow the field of candidates from eleven,” the release states. “Therefore, the GOP’s failure to include each qualified candidate robs voters of the chance to make a properly informed decision and works to further discredit the GOP in a time when the Republican Party already faces much backlash and discontent from both voters and members of the party itself.”

The first debate will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Indian Hills Country Club, 4001 Clubland Drive, Marietta.

The second is set for 4 p.m. April 2 at Le Meridien Atlanta Perimeter (near Perimeter Mall), 111 Perimeter Center West, Atlanta.

The final debate is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 9 at the Metropolitan Club, 5895 Windward Parkway, Alpharetta.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Press Club has scheduled a debate for all 18 candidates for April 5.