Republican White House hopefuls eased up on the bitter infighting in a more collegial debate that saw candidates train fire on President Barack Obama and coalesce around a tough economic message.
The showdown between the top eight candidates in Milwaukee, Wisconsin comes 83 days before the first state-wide votes in the primary process to determine which Republican and which Democrat will square off in the November 2016 contest to succeed Obama.
Billionaire Donald Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are riding high in the polls, outshining their establishment counterparts who are struggling to gain traction in a political environment saturated with populist anger.
Coming into the forum fighting for his political life, one-time favorite Jeb Bush — the sometimes avuncular son of the 41st president and brother of the 43rd president — sought to emerge from the field with tougher talk.
“Hillary Clinton has said that Barack Obama’s policies get an ‘A’ — really?” Bush asked derisively, listing woes ranging from a discouraged work force to high poverty levels, to kids on food stamps.
That “may be the best that Hillary Clinton can do but it is not the best America can do.”
Flagging poll numbers and poor debate performances have spooked Bush’s supporters, as well as crucial big money donors, who once fawned on the former Florida governor.
“I know I have to get better,” Bush told supporters last week after his lackluster performance.
Once considered the presumptive Republican nominee by party insiders, he has been eclipsed in early campaigning by the party’s frontrunners Trump and Carson.
His claim to the crown of establishment Republicans is being snatched away by one-time political protege Marco Rubio.
With Republicans risking the ire of Hispanic voters through a tough stance on immigration, Bush also sought to show he is close enough to the political mainstream to challenge Democrats in the general election.
Addressing proposals to repatriate 12 million illegal immigrants, Bush balked: “500,000 a month is just not possible, and it’s not embracing American values and it would tear communities apart.
“They’re doing high-fives in the Clinton campaign right now when they hear this,” he said, risking conservative anger.
“We have to win the presidency. The way you win the presidency is have practical plans.”
But Bush’s strategy may prove risky in an election where Trump and Carson have fed off populist rage.
“We are a country that is being beaten on every front,” Trump said, in explaining why he would not raise the minimum wage. “We cannot do this if we are going to compete with the rest of the world.”
Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who has stumbled in recent days amid questions about the veracity of his inspirational personal narrative, largely avoided scrutiny.
“Thank you for not asking me what I said in the 10th grade. I appreciate that,” Carson, the only African-American in the field, told moderators.
His accounts of receiving an offer of a prestigious military scholarship and his violent adolescence, when he says he attempted to stab a classmate, have come into question.
“I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about,” he said.
– Out with the ‘gotcha’ –
Tuesday’s Republican debate saw little of the fractious infighting that has marked the Republican campaign so far.
The previous debate, hosted by cable business channel CNBC, was marked by the confrontational tone that moderators took with the candidates, many of whom complained about being asked “gotcha” questions.
Amid pressure to narrow the field for Tuesday’s debate, which initially focused on the economy, broadcaster Fox Business Network changed the format, with only eight candidates at the podiums instead of 10.
Beyond Trump, Carson, Bush and Rubio, the four other candidates on stage — Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, Ohio Governor John Kasich and former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina — were under pressure to stand out.
Low-pollers Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee failed to make the cut. They were relegated to an undercard debate that was held prior to the main event and which also featured Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and former senator Rick Santorum.
Christie made a strong case for himself getting back on the main stage, arguing that Republicans ought to stop attacking one another and focus their efforts on preventing Clinton from expanding government.
“She is the real adversary and we’d better stay focused on… her,” he said.
“Hillary Clinton’s coming for your wallet, everybody. Don’t worry about Huckabee or Jindal, worry about her.”