WASHINGTON -- When the Republican presidential candidates gather for their second debate Wednesday night at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, they'll have a slate of important issues to discuss, like Carly Fiorina's face and who will build the biggest border wall. But will climate change be one of them?
At the first debate in August, hosted by Fox News, climate change came up only once -- in the context of a question posed to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in the panel for second-tier candidates, when he was essentially asked why he's so crazy as to believe climate change is an important issue to address.
"You worked with Democrats and President Obama when it came to climate change -- something you know is extremely unpopular with conservative Republicans," the moderator asked Graham. "How can they trust you based on that record?"
"Climate change" was never even mentioned in the primetime debate. The League of Conservation Voters compiled a tally of how many times other things happened at that debate, which includes:
- 64: Number of questions FOX News moderators posed to the Republican candidates during the August 6 debate.
- 11+: Number of minutes GOP presidential candidate and frontrunner Donald Trump captured at the debate.
- 2: Number of minutes candidate Mike Huckabee spent calling for the abolishment of the EPA and other governmental agencies.
- 1: Number of exaggerated eye rolls Senator Rand Paul let slip during a back-and-forth with Governor Christie.
- 6: Number of disparaging references to Obamacare.
- 0: Number of questions on climate change at the primetime debate.
- 0: Number of candidates who addressed climate change.
- 0: Number of candidates who put forth a plan to reduce pollution.
- 0: Number of times “clean energy” was mentioned by any candidate.
The group sent a petition signed by more than 26,000 supporters to CNN, the host of Wednesday's debate, asking the network to include a question on climate change for the candidates.
Also on HuffPost:
