Key takeaways from the GOP’s second-stage White House debate

(2) Experience Matters. Of the seven candidates on stage, only the two Ricks-Santorum and Perry-previously ran for president. Perry said, recalling Trump’s comments more than a decade ago in which he expressed support for a universal health care system. “How can you run for the Republican nomination and be for single payer healthcare?” Rick Santorum, former New York Gov. George Pataki and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore. -will be included in a secondary forum that starts four hours earlier.

Other journalists also felt that Fiorina’s performance was remarkable.

Sean Davis, co-founder of the conservative Federalist web magazine, tweeted, “I’m not anything close to a fan of Carly Fiorina, but it’s absurd that she’s not in the main debate”. Perry was asked the same question Monday night by moderator Jack Heath of WGIR radio again.

As for Clinton, the former secretary of state and Democratic frontrunner? Every man on the stage outweighs her by 75 pounds or more, but the former Hewlett-Packard CEO had several of the most forceful lines of the night.

“Unlike Trump, I didn’t get a call from Clinton”, she said, adding, “Maybe it’s because I haven’t given money to the foundation or donated to his wife’s Senate campaign”. “That’s not it”. Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz participated remotely; Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee and Jim Gilmore did not take part. He said Thursday that he had been told that by border patrol agents, and he took credit for immigration being an issue in the campaign.

He said from the stage that Texas saw 1.5 million jobs created, while the rest of U.S. lost 400,000 jobs, in the worst economy since the Great Depression.

At the early debate’s beginning, the candidates awkwardly faced a series of tough questions.

The crowded field meant limited talking time for candidates, many of whom were introducing themselves to Americans for the first time.

The debate will be 9 p.m. Thursday in Cleveland.

Trump will take center stage at the main event.

There was little criticism of Republican rivals, although Jindal scored a couple of hits. But it’s clear that Thursday night has the potential to be a turning point both for his candidacy and by extension a party that is desperate to win back the White House. Sorry, NASCAR fans, but those who tuned in hoping to see one or more of these candidates crash and burn left disappointed. Americans are exhausted of hearing this debate go to ‘What are you going to do about illegal immigration?’ For 30 years, this country has been baited with that.

Trump heads into the debate with a solid lead in the national polls.

In naming the debate field, Fox News said Trump led its poll aggregation with 23.4%, followed by Bush at 12% and Walker at 10.2%.

Republican presidential candidate former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, speaks during a pre-debate forum at the Quicken Loans Arena, Thursday, August 6, 2015, in Cleveland.

A big wild card is which Trump shows up.

“Trump has mocked Perry by saying he wears glasses to appear smarter”. Trump’s conversion to the pro-life cause is recent to be sure, but he seems honest in his convictions and there’s no doubt he’s not afraid of confrontation. I’ve written before about the possibility for Fox News’ debate criteria to hurt the Iowa caucuses.