While much of America was getting ready for Super Bowl Sunday, the Republican presidential hopefuls made their last appeals to New Hampshire in a debate on ABC Saturday night. It might be snowing hard in the Granite State, but the debate was often heated as candidates maneuvered to attract voters and explain their positions.
It was a smaller field of candidates, with three candidates -- Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul and Rick Santorum -- dropping out in Iowa, while Carly Fiorina was left out of the debate. This allowed more time for the candidates to respond to moderators' questions and each other. The two candidates who led the field in Iowa often took a step back on Saturday night while some candidates who weren’t factors on Monday night stepped up to try to make an impact.
With the Tuesday primary looming, Donald Trump leads the polls in New Hampshire. There is a tight battle for second and several candidates need a good showing to move on to South Carolina.
Here’s a look at some of the winners and losers Saturday night:
Winners
Jeb Bush. Battling to stay alive, the Florida governor made the most of his opportunities. Bush stayed out of the fray for the most part, not a bad place to be if New Hampshire Republicans were turned off by the squabbling between Chris Christie and Marco Rubio. Bush also got under Trump’s skin during the fight over eminent domain and made his case for fiscal conservatism and government restraint. When the debate turned to foreign policy and rebuilding the military, Bush was solid while not getting into a battle over his brother’s legacy. Bush also scored points as he offered his take on federalism and called for more power to the states instead of the federal government. In one of the finer moments of his campaign, Bush made the case for reforming the VA and offering veterans more choices in their health-care.With Rubio easily having one of his worst debates of the cycle, Bush benefited Saturday night. He hopes to survive New Hampshire and move on to South Carolina in a position of strength.
Chris Christie. The New Jersey governor is struggling in the polls in New Hampshire where he once looked to be a contender. That being the case, Christie came out swinging at Marco Rubio at the start of the debate and took the fight to the senator from Florida. Christie obviously thought his path to success in New Hampshire was going after Rubio and he did just that on immigration, experience and other fronts. For the most part he did well but Christie was a bit too aggressive in his attacks against Rubio. When the debate turned to taxing higher-earning Americans, Christie was excellent in showing how higher taxes have hurt New Jersey. Asked about battling drugs, Christie highlighted his record in Trenton for expanding rehab and how he helped in the heroin epidemic in the Granite State. Under fire from the right on the issue, Christie was also lucky not to get fire from his rivals over abortion in the closing moments of the debate. New Hampshire is make-or-break for Christie, and he left it all on the field Saturday night.
Ted Cruz. The winner of the Iowa caucus started off on a down note as the debate focused on his camp spreading rumors that Ben Carson was bowing out of the race. Donald Trump also piled on Cruz, but the Texan responded nicely when the conversation turned to North Korea’s missile launch. Cruz also did well when asked about immigration. While he disappeared during the middle of the debate, he bounced back, offering his take on how to battle ISIS. Considering Cruz won the Iowa caucus earlier in the week, he avoided fire during most of the debate, though Trump threw a last-second jab about Team Cruz's efforts against Carson in Iowa. Asked about heroin abuse, Cruz offered a moving response, bringing in his family’s experience with drugs and talking about his half sister’s death due to an overdose before saying drug smuggling is another reason to secure the border. Cruz already has his ticket punched to get out of New Hampshire. Cruz’s performance did not hurt him in the slightest, even with the rocky start.
John Kasich. A good night for Kasich despite the slow start. The Ohio governor was simply not a factor at the beginning of the debate but, after 20 minutes, he did well when he was asked about North Korea launching a missile. Foreign policy is actually a strong point for Kasich who did sit on the Armed Services Committee during his time in Congress. Sounding more calm than he has in past debates and highlighting his outreach in the Granite State, Kasich also showcased his record in Washington and in Ohio. The polls show Kasich is in the hunt in New Hampshire and his performance Saturday night will help him, though how far he can go remains to be seen.
Donald Trump. Leading in the polls in New Hampshire, Trump did nothing Saturday night to hurt his position in the Granite State. Nor did he draw too much fire from his rivals though his handling of eminent domain led to some bad moments that Jeb Bush took advantage of. Trump only made it worse by dismissing the audience as made up of donors. In one of his better moments in the debate, Trump defended law enforcement, which will play well with Republican primary voters. While he did not have that many memorable moments in the debate, Trump had a solid night, especially as the primary is just around the corner. Even with the spat over eminent domain, Trump was more substantive than he ever was in previous debates and did nothing to hurt his standing in New Hampshire.
Losers
Ben Carson. Once one of the top candidates, Carson has faded and he placed a distant fourth in Iowa. But he started off Saturday’s debate well, winning a clash with Ted Cruz over the Texan’s campaign spreading rumors that the good doctor was pulling out of the race. Carson showed the charm and command that helped lift him to the top of the polls. But then he vanished, a reminder that he is simply not a contender in New Hampshire and, increasingly, at the national level. When asked about health-care, which should be in Carson’s wheelhouse, he responded by complaining about not being asked about North Korea before stumbling at the end of his answer, saying he needed more time. While he was sidelined for much of Saturday night -- through ABC's making, not his own -- Carson had some good moments, especially at the start. But he needed a far better performance to get himself back in the game.
Carly Fiorina. This dark horse candidate wasn’t on the stage on Saturday night and that is clearly to her detriment. Fiorina offered some strong performances in the first debates but she never offered much of a second act and was sent back to the undercard debates. Proving a non-factor in Iowa, Fiorina looks headed for a similar fate in New Hampshire. Missing the Saturday night debate did not help her chances in the Granite State. If she gets out of the race after New Hampshire -- and that’s a real possibility if her poll numbers continue to lag -- Fiorina has at least made herself more of a national figure for the GOP and could be on a vice presidential shortlist and will probably get Cabinet consideration if the Republicans win in November. But her presidential campaign is coming to an end and being excluded from the debate only accelerated that.
Marco Rubio. After his strong showing in Iowa, Rubio moved up in New Hampshire where most polls showed him in second. Rubio knew he was going to draw fire on Saturday night and he did. Getting into a shoving match with Chris Christie did not help him. Even worse, Rubio started repeating his talking points, showing the New Jersey governor’s comment about the Floridian going on the attack before pivoting to a set speech was spot on. Rubio walked right into that one. Christie kept on the attack and Rubio faced questions over his experience and his position on immigration. To be sure, Rubio had his moments, namely on foreign policy, social issues, religious freedom and taking aim at Hillary Clinton during the second half of the debate. But that only redeems his performance so far. While he has done well in most of the debates, Rubio was clearly off on Saturday night and his exchanges with Christie will get most of the headlines. Not the best time for that kind of performance.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
Comments
Yjis embarassing rubio is a
Career ending performance for
Trump White House Cabinet &
It was the very 1st question
You have made an outstanding
Ben did NOT vanish and will
Carson is toast, get the
Just another clowncar show
Fools, all. Dangerous to one
Let's face it, Sen. Rubio was
WORST DEBATE EVER SEEN.. IM
I thought the ABC format was
Didn't like the ABC format
Was disappointed in the ABC