This was the most intense Republican debate yet — not a surprise with several candidacies on the line with the New Hampshire primary just days away. After his loss in Iowa, you may have expected Trump to come out swinging, but others did the work for him. Cruz backed down from Trump and apologized to Carson for his team’s tactics in Iowa. Christie dropped the hammer immediately on Rubio, accusing him of giving canned responses. It knocked Rubio off stride. Bush stood up to Trump on eminent domain. Kasich had a solid night pushing a positive message. The must-watch moments:
That’s the quickie version of what happened in the eighth Republican presidential debate of the 2016 race Saturday night. The politics team has wall-to-wall coverage.