Ted Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush passed him, as Carson stood bewildered in the walkway to the stage.
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Marco Rubio headed into the latest Republican debate ready for an onslaught of attacks about his experience and readiness for the White House, while a trio of his rivals sought a breakout performance before Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary – an election critical to their presidential hopes. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, after rumors that Cruz’s campaign left voicemails for supporters on the night of the Iowa caucuses telling them Carson had dropped out of the race.
New Hampshire’s primary could further winnow an already shrinking GOP field. Correct the Record, a super-PAC backing Hillary Clinton, emailed out a video of Rubio repeating himself with the subject line “Marco Rubio: Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah”, while American Bridge, another Democratic super-Pac, joked in their email that “RubioBot Blows A Gasket In New Hampshire”.
“You have not been involved in a consequential decision where you had to be held accountable – you just simply haven’t”, Mr. Christie told Mr. Rubio early in the debate.
Mr Bush, Mr Christie and Ohio Governor John Kasich must make a mark in New Hampshire and deflate the growing bubble around Mr Rubio if they still have a chance to capture the support of establishment Republicans.
Jeb Bush told NBC News’ Chuck Todd on Sunday that his campaign will continue no matter how he finishes in New Hampshire, the state where he has committed most of his time and campaign resources.
Donald Trump lost his social media dominance for the first time during the Republican presidential debates as the candidates made their eighth showing on Saturday night in New Hampshire. But Christie accused Rubio of resorting to “a memorised 30-second speech”.
When Rubio started the line again, Christie pointed out the repeated comments: “There it is”.
“This is what Washington, D.C. does”, he said. The senator found his footing later in the debate when outlining his call for more aggressive action to fight the Islamic State group and emphasizing his anti-abortion stance.
As a result, Rubio has faced a flurry of criticism in recent days, with his rivals questioning his experience and casting him as overly scripted on the campaign trail.
Bush proved an exception – he criticized Trump over the businessman’s support for land taking under eminent domain – and noted the relative silence of other candidates. It was really an intriguing night as Donald Trump wowed the audience.
Also fighting to stay relevant is retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
After skipping the last debate and losing Iowa, Donald Trump was back on the stage looking to secure his lead in the Granite State. Instead he focused on the core messages of his campaign, including immigration and “making America great again”.
Cruz said he would not speculate about how he would handle the situation without a full briefing, whilst Trump said he would rely on China to “quickly and surgically” handle North Korea.
They include blocking Muslims from coming to the United States and deporting all people in the country illegally, while maintaining he has the temperament to serve as president.
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Kasich, who has staked his White House hopes on New Hampshire, offered a more moderate view on immigration, saying if elected president, he would introduce legislation that would provide a pathway to legalizing immigration status, though not citizenship, within his first 100 days in office.
