“The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary serves a national purpose by giving all candidates an equal opportunity on a level playing field,” Fergus Cullen, head of the New Hampshire Republican Party, said in a statement released Saturday regarding the network’s decision to part ways with his organization. “Only in New Hampshire do lesser known, lesser funded underdogs have a fighting chance to establish themselves as national figures. Consistent with that tradition, we believe all recognized major candidates should have an equal opportunity to participate in pre-primary debates and forums.”

As Big Head DC reported earlier, Cullen felt that Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter should be included in a GOP candidate forum scheduled for Sunday evening to be broadcast on FOX News. Network heads, however, felt differently, so they broke ties with the state GOP today.

“The New Hampshire Republican Party believes Congressmen Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter should be included in the FOX forum on Sunday evening,” Cullen said. ”Our mutual efforts to resolve this difference have failed.”

Concluded Cullen: “While we understand that FOX News continues to move forward it is with regret, the New Hampshire Republican Party hereby withdraws as a partner in this forum.”

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Big Head DC hears that Fergus Cullen, head of the New Hampshire GOP, has caved to demands to include Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter in FOX News Channel’s Sunday evening forum, and has therefore withdrawn from the partnership the state Republican Party had previously secured with the network.

Big Head DC contacted FOX News to find out whether the forum was still in play and we’re told it will continue as scheduled with Huckabee, Romney, McCain, Giuliani and Thompson, serving as the last exchange between the candidates before Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary.

Moderated by Chris Wallace, the 90-minute forum is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET live on FNC. David Rhodes, Vice President of News for Fox News Channel said in a statement, “We look forward to presenting a substantive forum which will serve as the first program of its kind this election season.”

UPDATE: New Hampshire GOP Strikes Back at FOX News

Earlier: FOX News to Host Special GOP Candidate Forum

Baltimore Sun Confirms Big Head DC’s Ron Paul Scoop

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Inside Cable News reports:

Ron Paul was on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer about twenty minutes ago in the first quarter hour of the 5pm ET hour and he was doing everything possible to stick it to FNC over his exclusion from the Forum. He had some help from Blitzer on that score. Paul said that Fox was “in a bind” now and hinted that some body of the Republican Party in NH was threatening to withdraw support from the forum if Paul wasn’t invited. Paul also hinted that FNC would look very bad if he finished ahead of any of the current invitees tomorrow in Iowa. I think he’s referring to Fred Thompson.

Big Head DC speculates that the NH GOP person who is doing the needling is Fergus Cullen, the chairman of the state GOP, who, insiders tell us, is very displeased with the way top FOX executives handled this decision.

A reminder to Paul fans: Big Head DC’s endorsement is still up for grabs.

Earlier: SCOOP: Paul Excluded From FOX News

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Tonight at 6:02 p.m., the Baltimore Sun confirmed all aspects of Big Head DC’s story from yesterday morning regarding Ron Paul and the upcoming FOX News GOP presidential forum:

Fergus Cullen, chairman of the New Hampshire State Republican Committee, confirmed Sunday evening to the Tribune that, yes, there will be a televised Fox News presidential candidate forum on Jan. 6, and yes, Rep. Ron Paul was not invited when the other candidates were a week or so ago.

“My understanding is that five candidates to that point had been offered spots but the event is still coming together,” Cullen said.

The candidates invited to the forum/debate – whatever you want to call it – will be Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. John McCain, Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. Fred Thompson.

Cullen said the event, which is set to take place two days before the New Hampshire primary, will be held in the afternoon or evening at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, N.H. When asked if Fox News, which is co-sponsoring the debate with the NH party, planned to invite Paul later, Cullen said he didn’t know.

“It’s really premature. Just the other day candidates started to accept invitations.”

On Saturday, Paul called Fox News “scared of me.” They “don’t want my message to get out, but it will,” according to The Boston Globe’s Primary Source blog.

“They are propagandists for this war and I challenge them on the notion that they are conservative.”

On Sunday night, Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said the campaign remains angry, and in the dark.

“We have not heard anything else today,” he said. “[Fox] continues to ignore our calls.”

To date, Big Head DC has not received word whether FOX News will extend an invitation to Paul, nor an explanation of why he wasn’t invited in the first place.

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FOX News is facing loads of criticism from Ron Paul supporters who claim the network purposely excluded the GOP presidential candidate from participating in a Jan. 6 forum scheduled on the network, which was reported first on Big Head DC on Thursday.

The forum, which will be hosted by FOX newsman Chris Wallace, was organized by the New Hampshire Republican Party, but political organizers have told Big Head DC that the decision to exclude Paul was not made by the state GOP.

When Big Head DC first reported on the debate, several Paul supporters posited that Fergus Cullen, Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, was behind the exclusion. Many were especially angry that Fred Thompson was invited to be included in the forum (along with Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Mitt Romney) when Paul has managed to raise more money than Thompson, and is beating the candidate in some polls. 

Paul’s campaign managers are now focusing their criticism on FOX News. “Given Ron Paul’s support in New Hampshire and his recent historic fundraising success, it is outrageous that Dr. Paul would be excluded,” Paul 2008 campaign chairman Kent Snyder said in a press release issued Friday evening. “Dr. Paul has consistently polled higher in New Hampshire than some of the other candidates who have been invited.”

Snyder added, “Paul supporters should know that we are continuing to make inquiries with FOX News as to why they have apparently excluded Dr. Paul from this event.”

To date, FOX News hasn’t answered requests for comment from Big Head DC on this issue.

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