KIT MILLER

Oct. 28 was the third debate for the GOP candidates. Since Governor Scott Walker (WI) dropped out since the last debate, there are now ten major candidates running for the presidency: Former Governor Jeb Bush (FL), Doctor Ben Carson, Governor Chris Christie (NJ), Senator Ted Cruz (TX), Mrs. Carly Fiorina, Former Governor Mike Huckabee (AR), Governor John Kasich (OH), Senator Rand Paul (KY), Senator Marco Rubio (FL) and Mr. Donald Trump.

There were many topics covered in the debate, ranging from Social Security to gun control laws to Trump’s “Great Wall of Mexico.” Here are some of my personal favorite moments from the debate.

• Fiorina smiled! Fiorina was very stiff and rigid in the last debate, which understandably comes from being the only woman on stage and feeling the need to go toe-to-toe with the men. This time around, she preserved her trademark intensity while also showing a softer and more carefree side.
• Trump and Kasich had a real intense exchange about money and leadership. Kasich accused Carson and Trump of not having the experience needed to budget for an entire country. Trump responded by pointing out that Kasich was a partner of Lehman Brothers when they went down under. Trump also took a jab at Kasich’s poll ratings, saying, “He was such a nice guy. And he said, oh, I’m never going to attack. But then his poll numbers tanked. That is why he is on the end. And he got nasty. So you know what? You can have him.”
• Rubio refused to back down against the moderators when they brought up the issue of him neglecting his responsibilities as senator and Jeb Bush who, basically, demanded for his resignation. Rubio brought up statistics against Bob Graham, John Kerry and Barack Obama, who together missed an average of 56 percent of votes, compared to his 34 percent.
• Cruz lashed out at the moderators after being questioned on his problem solving abilities. Rubio hinted at bias in the media earlier in the debate, but Cruz was the one to directly call the moderators out. “The questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media,” said Cruz, “This is not a cage match. You look at the questions – ‘Donald Trump, are you a comic-book villain?’ ‘Ben Carson, can you do math?’ ‘John Kasich, will you insult two people over here?’ ‘Marco Rubio, why don’t you resign?’ ‘Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen?’ How about talking about the substantive issues the people care about?” Later in the debate, Rubio would agree, saying, “The Democrats have the ultimate SuperPAC. It’s called the mainstream media.”
• Huckabee and Christie argued about the morality of the government dipping into Social Security funds. Huckabee says the government needs to honor its promises. Christie says the government needs to tell the people the truth.
• Speaking of Christie, here’s a great quote from him: “Wait a second, we have 19 billion dollars in debt. We have people out of work. We have ISIS and al Qaeda attacking us. And we’re talking about fantasy football? Can we stop?”

Overall the debate was very interesting to watch. Some candidates really soared and some kind of, well, tanked. Across the board no one seems willing to back down at this point. Click here to see a full transcript from the debate.

Who do you think will lead the Republican nomination for next year’s election?