The Republican debates Thursday night proved far different than early primary forums, with the top 10 candidates engaging in a dramatic battle while seven hopefuls filled up the undercard. With this primary shaping up as the most competitive and turbulent Republican contest in decades, the stakes were high in Cleveland. The leading candidates engaged in a memorable debate while a dark horse had a good night in the warmup bout. Some winners and losers emerged, but the debates boiled down to the candidate leading in the polls.
The Story:
While he certainly did not dominate the debate by any means, Donald Trump ensured he was the topic around water coolers Friday morning. Many pundits, especially on the conservative side, have discounted Trump’s performance as he sparred with moderators, smacked down Rand Paul but also waded into strange territory regarding the Clintons showing up to his wedding and claiming to have donated to most of the Republicans on the stage. Trump also horrified the party base by refusing to rule out ditching the GOP and running for president as an independent if he doesn’t win the nomination.
But none of this may matter. Trump’s anti-politician persona and tough talk on immigration has elevated him to the top of the polls and his showing Thursday night probably did not hurt him with his base. At the same time, it probably did not expand beyond it, either. Regardless, Trump retained his position at the center of attention on the Republican side.
Winners:
Carly Fiorina. The former CEO of HP was engaging, scrappy and poised in her first debate. She easily shone against an admittedly bland field of competitors. Fiorina was sharp enough to keep her fire on Hillary Clinton, trying to offer a contrast with the Democratic front-runner. By throwing a few jabs Trump’s way, Fiorina ensured she would get a little publicity despite being on the undercard. The media and conservative pundits gave her far more attention than she has received so far in the campaign. A strong outing altogether for Fiorina and easily the best day of her campaign so far.
John Kasich. A solid showing for the Ohio governor though he did far better in the first half of the debate than the second. Kasich did score some points, though, at the end with his answer on same-sex marriage, opposing it while still saying gays should be treated humanely and noting he has gone to same-sex weddings despite his beliefs. To be sure, Kasich is vulnerable on the right, especially for backing Medicaid expansion. But, in the first debate, Bobby Jindal refused to go after Kasich by name on the issue, effectively making sure his answer would be ignored in the post-game coverage. Kasich was boosted by being Ohio’s favorite son and the crowd was often behind him.
Marco Rubio. The senator from Florida needed a boost after a recent fade in the polls and Rubio got exactly that on Thursday night and scored points when he noted Hillary Clinton could not connect to average Americans while he had once lived paycheck to paycheck. Rubio was poised and made his case without getting caught up in a fight with one of his rivals. Having said that, he did land a few jabs against Trump, noting the businessman had backed Charlie Crist for the Senate over him and calling him out on his immigration statistics. Rubio showed a solid grasp on policy as well, an important thing for the youngest candidate on the stage. A very good night for the Florida Republican.
Losers:
The handling of Ben Carson, not Carson himself. A complete nonfactor at the start of the debate, Carson came alive toward the end with an excellent closing. But for much of the debate he was sidelined, making little impression. After one extended period during which moderators didn't ask him a question, he quipped, "I wasn't sure I going to get to talk again." Carson nevertheless scored points with his strong close.
Lindsey Graham. Often personable and witty on TV, the South Carolina senator showed none of that charm in the first debate. Graham is clearly focused on foreign policy and somehow included the need for more muscle in the Middle East in most of his responses, including when asked about funding for Planned Parenthood. There isn’t much support right now for Graham’s calls for more troops in Iraq and deploying ground forces in Syria to take on Islamic State terrorism. Graham needed to channel a little of his ally John McCain’s roguish charm that served the Arizona Republican well in the 2000 and 2008 primaries.
Rand Paul. It was already a bad day for the Kentucky senator with news that Jesse Benton, one of his chief operatives and the husband of Ron Paul’s granddaughter, had been indicted for hiding payments to secure a major endorsement in Iowa for Ron Paul back in 2012. But things didn’t get better for Rand Paul during the debate, losing an exchange with Trump and getting bogged down in a spat with Chris Christie over the NSA. Rand Paul rolling his eyes when Christie mentioned 9/11 will not play well with Republican primary voters. Having already fallen from first tier to second tier status, Paul did not help his stock on Thursday night.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
