Bush airs Trump ‘jerk’ ad in NH

The Republican presidential candidates meet for their sixth debate of the campaign and first of 2016 on Thursday, as the February 1 Iowa caucuses loom ever closer.

Cruz dismisses that claim and is returning the fire, accusing the brash businessman of having “New York values” and questioning his foreign policy credentials.

Thursday night’s Republican primary debate-less than three weeks before the Iowa caucuses-is one the candidates’ final opportunities to scramble the picture. Rand Paul was invited but he decided that he wasn’t going to eat his carrots if Mom and Dad wouldn’t let him sit next to uncle Rick to hear his amusing stories about all the people that are going to H-E-double-hockey-sticks for looking at butts on the internet.

Today, Trump is unleashing a timely and stealthy attack on Cruz ahead of the Iowa primary where the two GOP candidates are in a head-to-head dogfight to win the state. “NY is an wonderful place with incredible people”. Like previous Republican debates, this one is split into two tiers. For Cruz, it was a New York Times report that he financed his Senate campaign in 2012 with up to $750,000 in loans from Goldman Sachs-his wife’s employer-which he failed to properly disclose in FEC filings.

When Trump was asked by Carr if the “values” attack by Cruz was an effort to appeal to Iowa Evangelicals and value voters, Trump said, “I don’t know what he’s doing”. Cruz has arguably given the strongest and most consistent performances of any candidate so far in the debates and is likely to be well prepared for any Trump retorts.

As the frontrunner and the angry human weathervane of this election, Trump will also dictate much of tonight’s tone. It is a theme he has carried into his bid for the Republican nomination for president.

The big question: Does that apply to Ted Cruz? The adviser sees Cruz as the one dominant conservative candidate with only retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson competing in that “lane” – political jargon for a section of the party – and the other five presidential hopefuls on the main stage – Florida senator Marco Rubio, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, former Florida governor Jeb Bush and OH governor John Kasich – fighting for the other spot.

The debates Thursday night in SC are among the last before the leadoff Iowa and New Hampshire contests. Cruz, Carson and Bush will be to Trump’s left, with Rubio, Christie and Kasich to Trump’s right.

Since the last debate, Cruz has only become more scrutinized by his GOP rivals, ranging from the national pack leader Trump to long-shot foes such as former U.S. Sen. “They realize you have to winnow down this field of establishment candidates to just one and the only way you’re going to do it at this point is to start taking the other ones out”.

From there, Bush’s schedule remains in flux but is likely to include more stops in Iowa, aides said.

David Cameron described his comments as “divisive, stupid and wrong” and said Mr Trump should come to the United Kingdom because it would “unite us all against him”.