Rick Santorum is not a fan of Fox News' guidelines for participation in the first Republican debate, calling them "arbitrary" and "irrational" in an email to supporters.

In May, Fox News announced that only the top ten Republican candidates in national polls would qualify. There are currently 19 presumptive and declared Republican candidates, according to the Republican National Committee.

"These rules are arbitrary, irrational, and — I believe — bad for our party and our country," Santorum said in the email to his supporters. "Under these new 'rules,' only the top 10 candidates in national polls will be allowed onto the debate stage. But I know from past experience that polls are meaningless at this stage."

The GOP candidate, who is running for the second time, went on to state that at this point during the 2012 campaigns, he was only polling in the single digits. Santorum went on to win the Iowa caucus, eleven primary states, and was the last Republican candidate to challenge Mitt Romney before he eventually won the nomination process.

"I believe that we should have an inclusive process," Santorum wrote. "If you're a United States Senator, if you're a Governor, if you're a woman who ran a Fortune 500 company and you're running a legitimate campaign for President, then you should have the right to be on the stage with everybody else."

"He believes there's a great field and the debate should include all people who are qualified," Santorum 2016 communications director Matt Beynon told the Washington Examiner. "It's a rich field and everyone should participate."

The 10 Republican candidates who would be included as of Friday are former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Ben Carson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz , New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Donald Trump and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.