LOS ANGELES — We are just hours away from the second Republican presidential debates, with the lower-polling candidates going on at 6 p.m. and the main event at 8 p.m. on CNN. As you get your drinking games ready, here are five questions to ponder for tonight's festivities.
1. Will there be another "kids table" debate breakout? We will go in chronological order here, starting with the first of two debates. Last time in Cleveland, businesswoman Carly Fiorina turned in a strong performance that propelled her into the top tier. Now the jayvee squad is much smaller: Fiorina moved up (with no one displaced in her stead), Jim Gilmore was left out because he was polling below 1 percent and Rick Perry dropped out. It's up to Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham and George Pataki to duke it out for a breakout moment.
2. Will Carly Fiorina shine in the top tier? Her poll numbers are rising, she took on Donald Trump's comments about her face in a Super PAC ad that's earning rave reviews and she has her big shot in front of tens of millions. The Republican field's only woman has momentum, but with 11 candidates on stage it will be hard to stand out.
3. Will the moderators become the story again? Trump's sparring with Megyn Kelly during and after the Fox News debate became its own news cyclone. He's already gotten testy with radio host Hugh Hewitt, one of tonight's moderators. CNN says it wants to stoke debate among the candidates and not make the story about the moderators. We will see if they follow through.
4. Will Ben Carson stay under the radar? The neurosurgeon and fellow political newcomer is now challenging Trump near the top of the polls with an anti-Trump, low-key demeanor. But he could be in for more scrutiny and attacks now that his star has risen.
5. Will Jeb Bush show some fight? The one-time front runner who raised the most money by a mile is languishing in the polls, having been ridiculed by Trump for being too low-energy. Bush is fighting back on the stump and in the media, previewing a feisty on-stage look. We'll see if his punches land.
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