The ABC News Republican debate in New Hampshire on Saturday has the potential to be a pivotal moment in the race.
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The victor in Iowa, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Iowa, will attempt to regain his footing in a debate set for 8 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC.
Cruz has sounded as confident as ever on trail lately, especially in responding to Trump.
The debate will mark the return of Trump to the debate stage after skipping the previous one hosted by Fox News before the Iowa caucus. Marco Rubio, who is rising in the polls after his third-place finish in Iowa, telling the crowd that executive experience is paramount.
The controversy isn’t going away – in large part because Cruz’s top opponents won’t let it. “Don’t you know how to get along with people?'” he riffed at a Friday night event in Salem. “It’s a lie. Don’t believe it”, he said.
Belknap GOP County Chairman and New Hampshire Republican Party Area 5 Vice Chairman Alan Glasman says the Trump campaign reached out to him on Thursday asking for his vote.
And Christie, who has mostly aimed his fire at Rubio, is taking note of Cruz’s standing here as well.
Trump, conversely, has stumbled in the expectations game.
To be sure, Trump hasn’t completely changed his approach in the wake of his Iowa defeat. Will he soften his tone, as he has in some post-Iowa appearances? Or will he double down on his charge that Cruz stole a victory in the Hawkeye State through dirty tactics? But it’s no wonder he is packing in as many events here as he can, pleading with voters finally to pick him from a still chaotic, unpredictable field.
Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, first-term senators on the rise in the presidential race, faced a barrage of attacks in Saturday night’s Republican debate, with rivals challenging Cruz’s controversial campaign tactics and Rubio’s readiness to be president.
The state of play in the State of Granite is as it always is in the first-in-the-nation primary: Winning is the best thing but (sorry, Vince Lombardi) not the only thing.
Santorum, who had just endorsed Rubio, was flummoxed and stammered through a non-answer.
Mr Trump had led polls in Iowa but still lost the vote there last week, and experts questioned his decision not to engage personally with members of the electorate. Trump can’t sit back and be the confident front-runner this time.
Kasich, who has staked his White House hopes on New Hampshire, offered a more moderate view on immigration, though one that’s unpopular with many GOP primary voters. He’s vying for mainstream establishment Republican support here – and if he’s successful, it will come at the expense of fellow candidates Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich. Cruz hopes to appear presidential, yet strong enough to take on The Donald and win. “I think it’s clear that I am above a lot of people on that main stage debate tonight”.
Cruz has not been able shake accusations that his campaign resorted to underhanded tactics to win, including sending a mailer that suggested Iowans in low-turnout areas were guilty of a voting “violation” and having campaign representatives spread the inaccurate rumor on caucus night that Ben Carson was dropping out of the race.
For Cruz, New Hampshire is less of a natural fit than Iowa, where he had strong support from the state’s many evangelical voters.
“I’ve got four grandchildren, and this is the third moose I’ve gotten at town hall meetings”, an appreciative Bush told the man. “I need one more”.
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And based on the intensifying war of words with Trump, it’s hard to imagine anything short of fireworks between the two leading candidates.
