There’s nothing Donald Trump likes more than being proven right, and so when debate viewership numbers for Thursday night’s showdown on Fox News Channel came out, the Republican presidential frontrunner must have been skipping around his hotel hallways.
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Ramsay Trix says he’d seen the Texas senator three times before the Friday stop in Ringsted, Iowa, but he’s still not sure whether he will vote for him or Donald Trump. Rubio has accused Cruz of a variety of “kitchen sink” attacks in the wake of the latest debate, which saw the two men clash sharply over their shifting views on immigration.
J. Ann Selzer, whose Selzer & Company conducts the Iowa Poll, was the only pollster to accurately predict the 2004 Democratic caucus order.
Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, credited Trump’s questioning of Cruz’s eligibility to serve as president for Cruz’s drop in the polls, even though Sabato called the issue of Cruz’s qualifications “nonsense”.
Rubio married that argument with one that he knows how furious voters are – but that they have to think through who they’d trust as commander-in-chief.
“What we’re seeing is the old Reagan coalition coming together”. Mr. Cruz has largely sought to remain above the fray, but has been urging Iowans not to be lured by a candidate without a conservative record who will “burn” them if chosen as the Republican nominee.
“Ted is a “we” person, Donald is an “I” person”, said Jim Ingebrigtsen, a Cruz supporter who decked out his truck with Cruz signs and plans to travel around Iowa all weekend, right behind the candidate’s bus. “He’s a consistent conservative, he’s trusted and he does what he says what he’s going to do”, Paul said. “And who’s going to pay for the wall?” he asked the crowd.
“I like Ted Cruz a lot”, Trump argued. Marco Rubio of Florida suggested that while Trump, a celebrity TV star and businessman, had indeed entertained the electorate, Monday marked a new, more serious stage of the campaign.
When he meets Iowa voters, Bush emphasizes his experience as governor and family background.
Bush also seeks to distinguish himself from other, more angry voices in the primary battle by trying to win over voters with an upbeat message. “I will apologize to nobody for using every tool we can to encourage Iowa voters to come out and vote”, he said. “And clearly we’re not going to be able to do it comprehensively and we’re not going to be able to do it until we first enforce our immigration laws”.
As for the debate, Smith said it was everyone else’s time to shine.
He who must not be named! She said she has been deciding between Rubio and Republican Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon. When asked whether she had made up her mind about her caucus choice on Monday, she blurted out a quick “Nope”.
Gov. Chris Christie, with his usual combative stance, ridiculed, as he has done in the past, the Senate floor-like exchanges between Cruz and Rubio, topping it off with jabs at Hillary Clinton whenever he could.
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And even while he hasn’t reached the heights of Trump or Cruz, his approach means that he could still finish strong and take the momentum to other states’ races.
