Trump returns to debate stage; Rubio to face onslaught

Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon whose fortunes have skidded him into relative national obscurity, makes up the seventh candidate on stage for the primetime debate broadcast by ABC News.

The billionaire businessman has acknowledged that the move may have hurt him in Iowa.

The eighth debate for the GOP field marks the return of Donald Trump, who boycotted the Fox News debate on January 28, days before he went on to lose the Iowa caucuses to Ted Cruz.

The strategy reflects the Rubio team’s belief that the New Hampshire primary could be the moment when he begins consolidating mainstream Republican support. He was even more untouched than Trump; not even his regular immigration bouts with Rubio were rehashed. Polls suggest there’s little room to grow support among New Hampshire’s centrist- leaning voters and given Rubio’s surge in the state, Cruz’s campaign has said.

However Trump plays it, the stakes will be high.

The Republican presidential candidate, who’s aiming for a top tier finish in next week’s primary after his poor showing in Iowa, delivered a strong performance here at his midday town hall in Bedford, showing a mix of humor and emotion before a packed crowd. As his rivals sling mud at him and each other, Rubio – who finished a solid third in Iowa and is climbing here in the Granite State – is mostly content talking about himself and avoiding combat with the other Republicans.

And then there was Texas Sen.

On the positive side for Rubio, he picked up the endorsement of former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who dropped out of the Republican race in November.

Republican presidential candidates (R-L) Ohio Governor John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Sen.

If Rubio didn’t have the attention of his rivals before that, he does now. In five Democratic debates so far, abortion has never been mentioned in a question – but as with Saturday night- it is a staple of journalists when they pose questions at GOP debates. Once a protégé of Mr Bush, Senator Rubio has emerged as a grave, possibly mortal, threat to both men.

This week, Rubio finally started throwing elbows at the front-runner, saying that being president is “not like being a real estate developer”. Rubio is clearly rising in the polls, but many voters here say they are still eyeing the other three “establishment” candidates.

Bernie Sanders by a nose, winning herself another ticket on to New Hampshire.

The polling numbers are maddening for this trio.

“They gave Senator Santorum three minutes to name one accomplishment of Senator Rubio. One”.

But Christie had none of it, refusing to let Rubio wriggle out of his assault, playing on a narrative advanced by Rubio’s opponents that he has simply learned a soaring stump speech and deploys it every time he appears in public, be it at a campaign event or a debate.

Here’s a quick guide to when the debate airs, what channel it is on, and who will be there.

It’s the last chance for all of them, as anything worse than a second-place finish could spell doom. Residents of Iowa will vote for the Republican nominee at the caucuses on February 1. His surrogates urged Carson supporters at several precincts to back Cruz instead.

Cruz apologized for his campaign’s actions Saturday, but not before Carson jabbed him for having “Washington ethics”.

“This is an issue that I understand first hand”, Cruz said Friday night in Salem. Ted Cruz, meanwhile, hopes to build on his win in the Iowa caucuses and the debate could be a last stand for candidates like Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Chris Christie. He’ll have to answer for it in front of voters on Saturday night.