Six GOP candidates where present at the debate in New Hampshire on Saturday for one of last chances to keep their presidential hopes alive. But wthout Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, a strage quietness surrounded the place, says CNN.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich were among the candidates that wanted to gain from the mogul’s absence. The Saturday GOP debate was on a half-stump speech, half town hall-style questions format to suit New Hampshire’s prime voters.
Marco Rubio is confident in his chances
“I think it’s really great that in America, you want to be commander in chief, you want to be the most important political figure in the world, you’ve got to start by renting a car and driving to town halls and meeting with 30 and 40 people at a time. I think that’s fantastic.”, said Rubio during his speech, in a hotel ballroom south of Nashua’s downtown, quoted by CNN.
Candidates actually got to speak their mind and you could have swear that you’re at a church, not a GOP debate. Of course, this wouldn’t had happened without the absence of Trump and Cruz, who were both in Iowa this weekend. The two lead in recent CNN/WMUR New Hampshire survey, according to the same source.
Jeb Bush had something to share with Donald Trump
Bush, who is tied with Rubio for third place in the same survey, went to attack Donald Trump, claiming that all that chit-chat about minorities and women doesn’t make him a stronger or better leader.
“It is not strong to insult women. It is not a sign of strength when you insult Hispanics. It is not a sign of strength when you say that a POW is a loser because they got caught. (Arizona Sen.) John McCain is a hero.”, said Bush. Rubio also had an indirect punchline for the GOP front-runner. “Being frustrated about the direction of America alone will not be enough”, declared the Florida Senator.
It wasn’t your average GOP debate without the two favorites
Although the voters were satisfied by the way the things went, they still thought that it would have been more interesting if Trump and Cruz were present at the debate, says CNN.
Well behind in polls, John Kasich said that he will have held 75 town halls in the state this cycle by Sunday night, realizing how much it means to the voters to see an actual candidate on stage. “They want to look at you. They want to poke you, maybe take a little smell once in a while, size you up and try to figure out if you’ve got the right stuff to be president of the United States, and I think it’s a great process.”
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, preocuppied with his states’ winter problems, missed the debate, but his wife asked New Hampshire residents for their vote. “Since we started this journey, I’ve actually done 130 events here. I think Chris has spent 64 days in New Hampshire, doing it the New Hampshire way more than any other candidate.”, said Mary Pat Christie, according to CNN.
