Cruz takes brunt of attacks at final GOP debate before Iowa caucus

Trump, vowing to stage a fundraiser for wounded US veterans at the same time as the debate, tweeted that “it was the childishly written & taunting PR statement by Fox that made me not do the debate, more so than lightweight reporter, Megyn Kelly”. He’s also trying to fend off a late charge from Marco Rubio while closing the gap on Trump, who leads by seven points in Iowa.

Cruz, after a series of questions, said: “If you ask me one more mean question, I may have to leave the stage”. Ted Cruz cast himself as the only true conservative who can be trusted to keep his word, especially on immigration. Trump’s rivals, Cruz, Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, all planned a full day of campaigning in the state. Rubio said the ad blitz was a sign Cruz, after months of cruising to the top of the heap, was starting to sweat.

He said donations form the event totalled more than $6million.

True to form, Trump also kept his feud with Fox News, whose debate he skipped on Thursday night in protest.

He previously blasted the glamorous blonde journalist as a “lightweight”, and posted raunchy photographs of her online yesterday calling her a “bimbo”.

Donald Trump held court in New Hampshire Friday, while his presidential competitors in both parties hustled through Iowa in a last-minute scramble to win over fence-sitters before the state’s crucial caucuses.

Lagging Republicans struggled to climb higher in their crowded field, while Hillary Clinton faced more email troubles on Friday as the presidential contenders barreled toward a final weekend of campaigning before Iowa’s crucial caucuses. Rubio had called a path to citizenship “amnesty” during his campaign for the Senate in 2010 before joining a bipartisan group of senators who pushed immigration reform that included one. Let me just say this… Contributions to the site will go to The Donald J. Trump Foundation, Trump’s nonprofit charitable organization. Marco Rubio fired back at one of his chief Republican rivals, accusing Sen.

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie removes his suit jacket as he takes questions during a campaign stop in Iowa Cit on Saturday.

It wasn’t just that Trump’s counter-rally in Des Moines drew an overflow crowd and wall-to-wall coverage on the other cable news networks.

Maybe because Trump wasn’t there, Cruz took the brunt of the attacks Thursday night. “I think I offer a very clear understanding of what we have to do and how to get it done”. But the polls seem to suggest that Cruz is stalled, or potentially slipping. “And you know they didn’t even mention he was born in Canada”. Much of this decision, Gov. Kasich as previously said, and again underscored, was driven by his faith.

Two of Trump’s Republican rivals, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, attended his alternative event after participating in the “undercard ” debate for low-polling candidates who did not make the main stage.

But with the Iowa caucuses just four days away and six debates behind them, the candidates were repeating themselves to the point where I felt like I was sitting at play that I had seen before – several times.

“Ted is obviously feeling a lot of pressure, falling in the polls and losing to Donald”, Rubio told reporters after a town-hall meeting in Marshalltown, Iowa.

“In theory, I would’ve rather done the debate because you’re leading”.

Most of the other candidates performed reasonably well, more or less.