Ben Carson is closing in on Donald Trump in New Hampshire, according to a new poll out Wednesday, just hours before the candidates will face off against each other in the second Republican primary debate. The only woman in the race, Fiorina has promised that Trump will be “hearing quite a lot” from her at the debate, after he disparaged her appearance in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. Compared to Trump’s 20% majority, the survey finds a continued gain in Carson’s campaign while Trump’s surge seems to be somewhat slowing down.
Advertisement
The poll’s other lesson: Granite State voters value political experience much less this year, but they do want more honesty.
Trump is suddenly facing stiff competition from retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who is surging in the polls.
While Carson may not use Trumpian rhetoric, that doesn’t make what he says any less absurd.
Trump is now viewed as an electable Republican: a majority of the public overall thinks Trump could possibly win the presidency if he gets his party’s nomination.
Eleven candidates will be on stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for the debate which starts at 8 p.m. Eastern (0000 GMT Thursday).
Bash said that although Donald Trump is at center stage, the debate is about more than the Republican front-runner.
Bernie Pinosat, a pollster and Louisiana political observer, said that Fiorina’s absence will leave Jindal and the three other candidates on the stage competing for attention. He said former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) unsuccessfully “put glasses on so people will think he’s smart” and that former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) “couldn’t be elected dog catcher.”
The debate comes at a crucial point in the GOP primary with tensions running high and establishment candidates struggling against their outsider counterparts.
They’ll also have to wrestle attention away from frontrunner Donald Trump.
At the prime-time debate will be Trump, Carson, Bush, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, John Kasich, Chris Christie and Fiorina.
Debate moderator Jake Tapper, CNN’s chief Washington correspondent, contrasted the CNN philosophy with that of Fox, which, in the first GOP debate, kept the dialogue between candidates and moderators.
In fact, some pundits believe that this televised debate could be so consequential for the presidential race, that there won’t even be a two separate debate in the future.
Advertisement
“I hear they are going after me”.
