Fox had announced on Thursday that it would host a forum between House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan — the two candidates who have announced campaigns for the job — as well as Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, who is considering a campaign, to discuss their suitability for the job, from which Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California was removed on Tuesday. However, following criticism from House Republicans, all three candidates decided to withdraw from the conversation, which led Fox News to cancel the whole program, according to multiple reports.

“I will not be participating in the televised debate,” Hern wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We need to make this decision as a conference, not on TV. The Republican conference needs a family discussion.” Following Hern’s decision, Scalise and Jordan reportedly spoke with each other and decided against participating, a source familiar with the matter told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

[At best, this is a gimmick, and at worst counter-productive. There will be 221 voters in this election, that’s all, and they don’t need to watch Fox News to hear from these three candidates. They work together in the House. Other than Fox’ ratings, what would be the point? Showboating on TV will do nothing to improve the prospects for unity, and likely would have made it more difficult to achieve. — Ed]