Candidates hoping to win the Republican presidential nomination gathered in Las Vegas Tuesday night to make their cases in the last GOP debate of 2015.
Business mogul Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina took the stage at the Venetian hotel for the debate, hosted by CNN.
Check out some of the night's highlights:
1. Bush to Trump: 'You can't insult your way to the presidency'
Bush and Trump traded barbs during the debate with Trump once again insisting Bush didn't have the grit it would take to make a good president.
"We need toughness," Trump said. "I think Jeb is a very nice person, a very nice person, but we need toughness."
In what became the most talked about moment of the debate, Bush shot back, "Donald, you're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency, that's not going to happen."
He followed by reiterating his belief that Trump is not a serious candidate.
"Leadership is not about attacking people and disparaging people, leadership is about creating a serious strategy to deal with the threat of our time.
2. Trump: 'I am totally committed to the Republican party'
In response to a question about whether Trump would consider a third-party run if he couldn't clinch the GOP nomination, the current front-runner pledged allegiance to the Republican party.
"I've gained great respect for the Republican leadership," he said. "I will tell you, I am totally committed to the Republican party, I feel very honored to be the front-runner and I think I'll do very well if I'm chosen."
3. Carson: Experience doing what's necessary as a neurosurgeon would enable him to confront War on Terror
Responding to a question about whether he'd be willing to order a strike against ISIS that could result in the deaths of innocent children, Carson pointed to his experience as a neurosurgeon.
"You should see the eyes of some of those children when I say to them 'We're going to have to open your head out and take out this tumor,'" he said. "They're not happy about it, believe me, and they don't like me very much at that point. But later on, they love me.
"Later on, they really realize what's going on and by the same token, you have to be able to look at the big picture and understand that it's actually merciful if you go ahead and finish the job rather than death by 1,000 pricks."
4. Paul jabs Christie on 'Bridgegate'
Paul and Christie clashed over foreign policy during the debate with Paul insisting that Christie would be great for voters who "want World War III."
He said the next president would need to have strong judgment skills.
"It's having that kind of judgment -- who you would appoint and how you're going to conduct affairs -- that is incredibly important," he said. "I mean, I think when you think about the judgment of someone who might want World War III, we might think about someone who might shut down a bridge because they don't like their friends."
5. Trump: CNN debate 'unprofessional'
Trump slammed CNN, calling the news station "unprofessional" for asking candidates in both the undercard and main debate to confront comments he's made.
"Frankly -- I think it's very sad," he said. "I thought it was very unfair that virtually the entire early portion of the [undercard] debate was Trump this, Trump that, in order to get ratings, I guess. I think it's very unprofessional."
6. Cruz on border control: We will build a wall and I'll get Donald Trump to pay for it
While highlighting the differences between his and Rubio's border security plans, Cruz lightened the mood with a light hearted reference to Trump's proposed border wall.
"Let me tell you, if I'm elected president we will secure the border," he said. "We will triple the border patrol. We will build a wall that works, and I'll get Donald Trump to pay for it."
About the Author
