Several Democratic presidential candidates are interested in doing their own versions of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) wildly popular town hall Monday night on Fox News, The Daily Beast reported Tuesday.
According to sources, candidates interested in similar events on on Fox News include South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio).
Aides for the Swallwell and Ryan campaigns both told The Daily Beast that their candidates are “willing” to host a town hall on Fox News and have been in touch with the the conservative-leaning network about next steps. An aide for the Buttigieg campaign said the mayor is already in talks to secure the event.
Buttigieg’s team also told The Hill that “reaching out to the Fox audience is something we intend to do.”
Sanders’ town hall was both a ratings success and a chance for him to prove the popularity of some of his bolder ideas, such as his “Medicare for All” health care proposal, in front of Fox News hosts who are generally critical of such plans.
He is the first Democratic candidate in this election cycle to participate in such an event on Fox News. In March, the Democratic National Committee announced that it would not partner with the network for debates during the 2020 primaries because of a New Yorker exposé on the network’s ties with the Trump administration.
In addition to the unexpected praise he got for his health care plan, Sanders also made headlines for his town hall by calling Trump a “pathological liar” and proposing that the U.S. start “building proper facilities right on the border” to house migrants waiting for their hearings.