Republicans go head-to-head for the last time

Riccardo Savi/Sipa USA/TNS with permission

GOP presidential candidates Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Dr. Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are introduced during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015.

At 6:00 p.m. EST, the four candidates with the lowest poll numbers discussed a number of issues including the war against terrorism and ISIS and foreign policy. Lindsey Graham, a senator of South Carolina, Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, Rick Santorum, a former senator of Pennsylvania, and George Pataki, the former governor of New York took turns discussing how they each believe they are more qualified than Donald Trump to be president. They mostly focused on their experiences in various government positions rather than the real issues at hand and how they would solve them.

For many, the real fun began at 8:30 p.m. EST when the nine candidates with the highest poll numbers took to the stage. Donald Trump, the leader of the polls who needs no introduction, Ted Cruz, a Texas senator, Marco Rubio, a Florida senator, Rand Paul, a Kentucky senator, Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, Ben Carson, a retired brain surgeon, Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Jeb Bush, the former  governor of Florida, and John Kasich, the governor of Ohio battled it out for almost two hours.

About a week before the debate, Trump made some controversial comments about how he believes that Muslims should be temporarily banned from immigrating to the United States. This caused an enormous uproar among Muslim-Americans and some of the other candidates as well. Bush, for example, called out Trump for his idea, and many supported the belief that Trump’s would-be presidential actions are unconstitutional.  According to Michael Smerconish, the political commentator for CNN News, Bush’s performance at the debate was more successful than the candidate’s other appearances throughout the year.

Smerconish stated that, “Jeb had a good night.”

Throughout the night, Cruz and Rubio continuously attacked each other on how the other would respond to certain situations such as the surveillance of cellular phones in order to prevent future tragedies. Cruz criticized Rubio on his beliefs, however Rubio was able to perfectly dodge any insults thrown his way. The Senator of Florida managed to focus on his ideas for foreign policy and avoided any and all criticisms.

The four candidates who are considered to be the losers of the debate are Carson, Fiorina, Paul, and Kasich. They failed to make themselves stand out against the leaders of the polls. Carson, who has recently dropped a considerable amount in the primary polls, focused mainly on refusing to take sides in the Cruz-Rubio feud, complaining that he wasn’t receiving enough time to talk, and providing poor support of the issues of foreign policy and terrorism.

Christie is considered to be somewhere in the middle. He’s not exactly a winner, but he didn’t really lose either. Christie used the fact that he was formerly a United States prosecuting attorney to highlight his experience in fighting terrorism. However, he seemed to spend more time illuminating issues than providing solutions.

There will be no more debates, either Republican or Democratic, for the rest of the year. When 2016 begins, Iowa and New Hampshire will be the first states to vote in the Republican primaries. Before we know it, a candidate will be chosen the Republican nominee for the upcoming presidential election.