BOULDER, Colo. — For
most of this year, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) have been
lurking in the background of the Republican presidential campaign. On Wednesday
night, they broke out into the open, delivering strong and forceful
performances in a raucous and rambling Republican debate marked by squabbling
and sharp elbows.
Both Rubio and Cruz have won modest
plaudits for their performances in the first two debates, but there was a
demonstrable difference in what unfolded on the stage at the University of
Colorado. They outshone Donald Trump and Ben Carson, the leaders in the polls,
and Rubio overshadowed his onetime mentor, former Florida governor Jeb Bush.
Whether this was a unique moment for
Rubio and Cruz or a foreshadowing of where the Republican nomination contest is
heading is a matter of speculation, with the voters the ultimate arbiters
starting early next year. But both candidates served notice Wednesday that they
are ready for the next phase of a rapidly changing and increasingly fractious
campaign.
Trump more than held his own,
improving on his performance in the second debate, in which he faded during the
final hour. He showed little of the frustration that has been on display lately
on the campaign trail. Carson was typically low-key, a style that has benefited
him during the campaign even as his ideas and background face increased
scrutiny.
But in the end, the two first-term
senators from two of the most-populous states in the country might have gained
the most, in part because each is seen among many GOP strategists as poised to
rise to greater prominence in the race.
In
Republican circles, Rubio has been the focus of the most attention to date,
despite relatively weak poll numbers and more potential than actual
performance. He probably gained considerable credibility Wednesday night,
particularly with fundraisers. Whether he can convert that into popular support
remains the biggest question about his candidacy.
Rubio long has had the potential to become
a crossover candidate, capable of corralling the support of mainstream
conservatives and wealthy fundraisers, and able at the same time to tap into
the frustrations of the GOP’s tea party wing. That remains his strongest
calling card, if he is able to build from here.
Cruz
occupies a different space in the GOP race: the hard-line conservative who has
worn as a badge of honor his battles with Republican leaders in Washington and
regularly espousing his belief that what the party needs is a nominee who can
genuinely articulate the conservative principles that much of the base
embraces.
Rubio arrived knowing he would come
under attack, and he was well prepped. His strongest moment occurred when he
was asked about his absenteeism in the Senate and his obvious disdain for a
body he joined less than five years ago.
Responding to a question about an
editorial in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that was headlined, “Marco Rubio should resign, not rip us off,”
Rubio turned the issue back on the news organization by pointing to Bob Graham,
John F. Kerry and Barack Obama, all of whom ran for president while in the Senate
and missed scores of votes. Rubio said none of them drew the ire of the
newspaper in the way he has.
“This is another example of the double
standard that exists in this country between the mainstream media and the
conservative movement,” he said.
Bush sought to piggyback on the
question, claiming that Rubio was working “like a French work week” and that he
owed his constituents much more. “You can campaign or just resign and let
someone else take the job,” Bush said.
Rubio took
Bush’s question and went on the offense, accusing his rival of trying to take
him down to save his own campaign. “The only reason why you’re doing it now is
because we’re running for the same position, and someone has convinced you that
attacking me is going to help you,” he said.
Cruz seized the stage a few minutes
later with an attack on the CNBC moderators, claiming that the round of opening
questions to Trump, Carson, Kasich, Rubio and Bush were biased and had nothing
to do with the country’s problems.
“The
questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the
American people don’t trust the media,” Cruz said. “This is not a cage match.”
Cruz also
drew a contrast with the recent Democratic debate, saying those candidates had
drawn only fawning questions. “Nobody watching at home believed that any of the
moderators had any intention of voting in a Republican primary,” he said.
Attacks on the media have been a
staple of past Republican debates, and Cruz’s sharp words drew huge applause
from the audience inside the Coors Events Center and stirred strong positive
reaction on social media and, no doubt, among the disgruntled conservatives
whom he has courted almost from the moment he arrived in the Senate a few years
ago.
The debate sprawled over economic and
other topics, and other candidates had times when they sought to take the
spotlight. Most of the candidates played to type Wednesday night. All could
point to moments when they made their points effectively.
Bush stressed his record in Florida
and said he would shake up Washington but do it in a way that brought people
together. But he got the worst end of the exchange with Rubio, no doubt to his
detriment.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich opened with a
screed against Trump and Carson as unqualified to serve as president, and he
said it was time to end the “fantasy” of what they were saying and look to
people with records of accomplishment.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and
former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee continued their debate about the future
of Social Security.
Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) railed against
the new budget deal brokered by outgoing House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio)
and the White House and pledged to filibuster it.
Carly Fiorina, who used two previous
debate performances to raise her profile and, temporarily, her poll numbers,
defended her tenure as chief executive at Hewlett-Packard and said she would be
as tough on Hillary Rodham Clinton as any other potential GOP nominee.
Wednesday’s debate was at times
unmanageable. Candidates showed only minimal respect for the rules, and the
moderators provoked the anger of the candidates. Candidates spoke over one
another repeatedly, especially in the early stages.
The third
debate of the pre-primary season came at a time when two of the outsiders in
the crowded field continued to dominate the Republican race. But it also came
at a time of volatility and greater uncertainty than a month ago, as some
national and state polls began to shift away from Trump and toward Carson.
With fewer than 100 days before the
voting begins in Iowa in early February, the GOP contest has moved into a more
intensive phase. For a number of the candidates lagging in the polls or
performing below expectations, the sense of urgency was apparent on the stage
Wednesday night in Boulder.
The
Republican race has defied almost everyone’s expectations this year, and there
is no consensus among veteran Republican strategists about what the future holds.
Wednesday’s debate might have offered a preview of what’s to come.
Dan Balz is Chief Correspondent at The Washington Post. He has
served as the paper’s National Editor, Political Editor, White House
correspondent and Southwest correspondent.
