This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/14/fox-business-republican-debate-trump-cruz-establishment-charleston-south-carolina
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Tale of two fights at Republican debate: Trump v Cruz – and everyone else | Tale of two fights at Republican debate: Trump v Cruz – and everyone else |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Thursday’s Republican presidential debate in Charleston is shaping up as two different battles. The first will be between the field’s two frontrunners, New York businessman Donald Trump and Texas senator Ted Cruz, to determine who will hold top dog status just three weeks before the Iowa caucus, the first electoral test of the 2016 election. | Thursday’s Republican presidential debate in Charleston is shaping up as two different battles. The first will be between the field’s two frontrunners, New York businessman Donald Trump and Texas senator Ted Cruz, to determine who will hold top dog status just three weeks before the Iowa caucus, the first electoral test of the 2016 election. |
| The second will be between the remaining five candidates on the main stage as they try to muscle their way into the spotlight. | The second will be between the remaining five candidates on the main stage as they try to muscle their way into the spotlight. |
| Cruz had long clinched Trump tight in a boxer’s move that was half an embrace and half an attempt to keep the real estate mogul from throwing a clean punch, but he has abruptly changed tone in recent days. | Cruz had long clinched Trump tight in a boxer’s move that was half an embrace and half an attempt to keep the real estate mogul from throwing a clean punch, but he has abruptly changed tone in recent days. |
| After Trump repeatedly fanned the flames over whether Cruz was eligible to be president because of the Texas senator’s birth in Canada, Cruz went on the offensive. In a series of interviews Wednesday, the Texas senator accused Trump of having “New York values”, suggested that Trump could not win a general election and echoed Jeb Bush in attacking Trump for being unprepared on foreign policy. | After Trump repeatedly fanned the flames over whether Cruz was eligible to be president because of the Texas senator’s birth in Canada, Cruz went on the offensive. In a series of interviews Wednesday, the Texas senator accused Trump of having “New York values”, suggested that Trump could not win a general election and echoed Jeb Bush in attacking Trump for being unprepared on foreign policy. |
| Trump has been careful, though, not to directly criticize Cruz. Instead, he has simply phrased his doubts about the Texas’s senator Canadian birthplace as concern over potential Democratic litigation. He tweeted on Wednesday: | Trump has been careful, though, not to directly criticize Cruz. Instead, he has simply phrased his doubts about the Texas’s senator Canadian birthplace as concern over potential Democratic litigation. He tweeted on Wednesday: |
| Sadly, there is no way that Ted Cruz can continue running in the Republican Primary unless he can erase doubt on eligibility. Dems will sue! | Sadly, there is no way that Ted Cruz can continue running in the Republican Primary unless he can erase doubt on eligibility. Dems will sue! |
| Cruz is showing less restraint. “It seems the Hillary folks are very eager to support Donald Trump and the attacks that are being tossed my direction,” the Texas senator has said. | Cruz is showing less restraint. “It seems the Hillary folks are very eager to support Donald Trump and the attacks that are being tossed my direction,” the Texas senator has said. |
| According to one Cruz adviser, the campaign sees Republican primaries as historically culminating in a matchup between a conservative candidate and an establishment candidate. The adviser sees Cruz as the one dominant conservative candidate with only retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson competing in that “lane” – political jargon for a section of the party – and the other five presidential hopefuls on the main stage – Trump, Florida senator Marco Rubio, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Ohio governor John Kasich – fighting for the other spot. | |
| While it may be counterintuitive to think of Trump as an “establishment candidate”, the adviser pointed out that Trump’s strength in polls is with moderate voters. In conversations with Iowa Republicans, several see Trump as a potentially becoming the candidate of pro-business, relatively moderate Republicans in the state who want to beat Cruz. | While it may be counterintuitive to think of Trump as an “establishment candidate”, the adviser pointed out that Trump’s strength in polls is with moderate voters. In conversations with Iowa Republicans, several see Trump as a potentially becoming the candidate of pro-business, relatively moderate Republicans in the state who want to beat Cruz. |
| Thursday’s debate is shaping up as the first major contest between the two. While Trump has done well in the many Republican debates that have taken place so far, he has faced relatively few direct attacks. Cruz has arguably given the strongest and most consistent performances of any candidate so far in the debates and is likely to be well prepared for any Trump retorts. | Thursday’s debate is shaping up as the first major contest between the two. While Trump has done well in the many Republican debates that have taken place so far, he has faced relatively few direct attacks. Cruz has arguably given the strongest and most consistent performances of any candidate so far in the debates and is likely to be well prepared for any Trump retorts. |
| The question is whether another candidate from the so-called establishment, a term which now includes a hard-right conservative such as Marco Rubio and a leader of the 1994 Republican Revolution such as John Kasich, can emerge to challenge Trump. | The question is whether another candidate from the so-called establishment, a term which now includes a hard-right conservative such as Marco Rubio and a leader of the 1994 Republican Revolution such as John Kasich, can emerge to challenge Trump. |
| While Rubio is currently the strongest, polling in third place in Iowa and second place in New Hampshire, he has yet to break through in any one state and rivals have raised questions about his rather lackadaisical schedule on the campaign trail. The Florida senator is currently caught in a political netherworld between Cruz and Trump and the rest of the field. He is liked in national polls and various state polls, but never well liked, and is consistently mired at just over 10% in every survey. However, Rubio is competitive in all three early states, unlike his “establishment” competitors. | While Rubio is currently the strongest, polling in third place in Iowa and second place in New Hampshire, he has yet to break through in any one state and rivals have raised questions about his rather lackadaisical schedule on the campaign trail. The Florida senator is currently caught in a political netherworld between Cruz and Trump and the rest of the field. He is liked in national polls and various state polls, but never well liked, and is consistently mired at just over 10% in every survey. However, Rubio is competitive in all three early states, unlike his “establishment” competitors. |
| Those three candidates, Bush, Christie and Kasich, are all focused on New Hampshire and are all seeking a breakout moment in the campaign. One well-connected New Hampshire operative noted that Kasich had one of the two strongest campaign operations in the state, along with Rand Paul. However, in a crowded, competitive field, a strong such program might not be enough to stand out – and these candidates are all expected to target Rubio on Thursday night. | Those three candidates, Bush, Christie and Kasich, are all focused on New Hampshire and are all seeking a breakout moment in the campaign. One well-connected New Hampshire operative noted that Kasich had one of the two strongest campaign operations in the state, along with Rand Paul. However, in a crowded, competitive field, a strong such program might not be enough to stand out – and these candidates are all expected to target Rubio on Thursday night. |
| For Rubio, who was the focus of most of his rivals’ attacks in the last debate, Thursday will again put his resolve to the test. In recent weeks, he has found himself engaged in a battle with Cruz over who is less “pro-amnesty” – an issue that stems from Rubio’s work on a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013. Allies of Bush have also seized on Rubio’s inconsistency on immigration in a bid to rile up resentment among conservatives who were rankled by the senator’s efforts to pass a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. | For Rubio, who was the focus of most of his rivals’ attacks in the last debate, Thursday will again put his resolve to the test. In recent weeks, he has found himself engaged in a battle with Cruz over who is less “pro-amnesty” – an issue that stems from Rubio’s work on a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013. Allies of Bush have also seized on Rubio’s inconsistency on immigration in a bid to rile up resentment among conservatives who were rankled by the senator’s efforts to pass a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. |
| And with Christie emerging as a potential threat in New Hampshire, Rubio has been forced to fend off a series of attacks from the New Jersey governor questioning his preparedness to serve as president. After first telling the Washington Post that Rubio can’t “slime his way to the White House”, Christie later framed a Rubio-Clinton matchup as one in which the former secretary of state would “pat [Rubio] on the head and rip his heart out”. | And with Christie emerging as a potential threat in New Hampshire, Rubio has been forced to fend off a series of attacks from the New Jersey governor questioning his preparedness to serve as president. After first telling the Washington Post that Rubio can’t “slime his way to the White House”, Christie later framed a Rubio-Clinton matchup as one in which the former secretary of state would “pat [Rubio] on the head and rip his heart out”. |
| Rubio has responded by questioning Cruz’s own consistency on immigration and Christie’s more moderate past on guns and abortion – but he has been put on the defensive more often than not. | Rubio has responded by questioning Cruz’s own consistency on immigration and Christie’s more moderate past on guns and abortion – but he has been put on the defensive more often than not. |
| The main debate will be preceded by an undercard debate with three participants: former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum. Kentucky senator Rand Paul was invited to participate in the lower debate but declined, insisting that his campaign was “top tier” and worthy of being on the main stage. | The main debate will be preceded by an undercard debate with three participants: former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum. Kentucky senator Rand Paul was invited to participate in the lower debate but declined, insisting that his campaign was “top tier” and worthy of being on the main stage. |