Greenville, S.C. -- The final six Republican presidential candidates gather hear tonight for a debate exactly one week from the crucial South Carolina primary. Here are five things to watch, plus details at the end on how to watch.
Updated No. 1: How does the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia alter the landscape? Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio both said tonight that the next president should nominate Scalia's successor, while John Kasich and Jeb Bush did not address the issue in statements lamenting Scalia's death. This will surely be one of the first questions tonight.
Original No. 1: Does anyone go after Donald Trump specifically for using a particularly vulgar term to describe his rival Ted Cruz? In a state that uses the slogan, "Smiling faces, beautiful places," that sort of potty mouth might be cause for response.
2. Is the more brutal battle among second-place contenders? Polling shows Trump crushing the rest of the field. John Kasich saw a noticeable bump after his second-place showing in New Hampshire. Do he, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Ben Carson use tonight to audition for runner-up?
3. Does Rubio go all-in? The Florida senator had a poor showing in the final debate before New Hampshire and vowed it would never happen again. Does he become more aggressive in an attempt to reinvigorate his campaign? He has strong support in South Carolina.
4. What is Cruz' strategy? On the one hand, he probably can't catch Trump, if polls are to be believed. On the other, does he engage Trump to give himself the imprimatur of fellow front-runner or fend off challenges from Rubio, Bush and Kasich for second-place?
5. Whither Ben Carson? The retired neurosurgeon is firmly in last place in the polls here and tonight could be his last appearance in a national debate. If his numbers don't improve both in the polls and in Saturday's balloting, he might not qualify for the next debate.
How to watch: The debate will air live from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on CBS News and will streamlive on CBSN, the network's digital streaming service. The online experience will include real-time Google Trends data and Twitter feeds.
About the Author
