Republican U.S presidential candidate and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie reacts during the second round of the GOP debate.
The rules for the Fox Business-hosted debate, which will take place on next Tuesday in Wisconsin, stipulate that candidates need to average at least 2.5% support among likely Republican primary voters in the latest four national polls released through Wednesday.
It's still unclear which polls Fox Business will use, but the latest four national polls - from Fox News, Quinnipiac University, NBC News and The Wall Street Journal, and CBS and The New York Times - found Christie's support at an average of 2.25%.
That would relegate Christie to the "undercard" debate, which has featured lower-polling candidates like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), and former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) in the past. That debate requires candidates to garner at least 1% support in those recent national polls.
Even if Fox Business uses the same selection of television-only polls that dictated qualifications for last week's CNBC debate - which did not include Quinnipiac - Christie still would not qualify. His support in the Quinnipiac poll, at 3%, is his strongest level. He hasn't garnered more than 3% in a national poll since a mid-October CNN survey.
Fox Business reportedly said Wednesday that it would announce the official lineup Thursday night on "Lou Dobbs Tonight."
Despite a very slight recent uptick in support, Christie's standing with voters has declined in nationwide polls over the past year.
A Fox Business spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment on which polls the network will use. The Fox Business debate in Milwaukee airs at 9 p.m. ET next Tuesday.