Trump returns to GOP debate, where Rubio could face attacks

Bush steps back onto the stage Saturday for the last Republican debate before the primary ― potentially crucial when the latest Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll says a third of likely Republican voters could still change their mind.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush joins the audience in reciting the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance at a campaign town hall meeting in Bedford, New Hampshire September 30, 2015. Lately, Bush tends to say definitively that Trump won’t be the party’s pick and avoids answering the hypothetical.

Trump’s absence in the previous debate allowed two of his closest competitors, Cruz and U.S. Sen.

At Saturday night’s debate, expect Trump to take the gloves off. In particular, Trump has already demonstrated his willingness to take on Cruz for his campaign’s role in spreading rumors that Dr. Ben Carson was dropping out of the presidential race.

Trump opened up his rally on Thursday with his stance on illegal immigration, explaining that offering amnesty is unfair to those that go through the legal immigration process. He still has a 20-point lead in this primary, so maybe he feels so comfortable that he’ll decide to keep the insults and outbursts to a minimum. “New Hampshire”, he added to huge applause. Ted Cruz, the fiery conservative who won Iowa. Still, Rubio hasn’t yet carved out a clear path to winning an early state, and he needs a strong debate performance to even approach Trump’s support in the Granite State. The New Jersey governor has pinned his presidential hopes on New Hampshire, but recent polls show him in the middle of the pack there. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., participate January 28 in a GOP debate in Des Moines, Iowa.

Christie furiously sought to undercut Rubio’s qualifications, declaring that the Florida senator has “not been involved in a consequential decision where you need to be held accountable”.

Bush supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham, however, told the New York Times that if Rubio “badly” defeats Bush in New Hampshire, the former governor will be “toast”. He finished in second place in Iowa’s caucus Monday, and looks to reclaim his role as his party’s undisputed front-runner. The cameo came just a couple of weeks after she appeared in a campaign video for Bush as well.

We’re not in Iowa anymore.

“We’ve had seven years with a guy who was gifted, who could give a great speech”, Bush told NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell, “but he’s divided the country”. Rick Santorum, who ended his campaign this week and backed Rubio but failed to name an accomplishment of Rubio’s in the Senate.

Former talk show host and political commentator Montel Williams says John Kasich is the right “adult” among GOP contenders to occupy the White House.

There is much to be said for choosing among candidates with a track record of governing that we can judge.

But Bush – who placed sixth in this week’s Iowa caucuses with less than 3 percent of the vote – is ultimately banking on his experience as a businessman and former Florida governor to convince voters that he’s best suited for the Oval Office, arguing that the three top finishers in Iowa – Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio – aren’t up to the job.

While Trump, a billionaire who is largely self-funding his campaign, has enough money to stay in the race, anything short of a win in New Hampshire would be a blow to his White House bid.

Trump’s campaign, of course, is hardly dead.

Rubio has followed a careful, cautious strategy, trying not to peak too soon or pick fights before it’s absolutely necessary. Rubio, 44, is polished, always on message, and focuses on the future.

“By the way, if you get a call on Tuesday night that I dropped out, it isn’t true”, Rubio said, tweaking Cruz during a town hall in Derry.