Fresh off a Super Tuesday that reordered the Republican field of presidential hopefuls, the remaining four candidates will gather in Detroit on Thursday at 9 p.m. for a debate that could prove to be the most consequential of the 2016 race.
With Donald Trump on the verge of running away with the Republican nomination, there will be no shortage of drama. As he continues to win primary contests, the pressure on Trump has been rising, and if the most recent debate was any guide, Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz will be attacking him from all angles in an effort to show that he lacks the knowledge and temperament to be president.
Since their last meeting, Trump has mocked Rubio for sweating and repeatedly called him a “lightweight.” Rubio has poked fun at Trump as having small hands and using spray tan that is overly orange. Few pleasantries are expected when they meet on stage.
Adding to the intrigue, it will be the first time this year that Trump will face Megyn Kelly, the Fox News anchor with whom he feuded last year. Trump erupted in anger after the first Fox News debate, when Kelly questioned his history of making sexist statements. He then spent days savaging her on social media and suggested that her tough line of questioning was a result of a hormonal imbalance.
Trump skipped the last debate hosted by Fox before the Iowa caucuses in January, but he has agreed to participate Thursday. He will also have more time in the spotlight, since Ben Carson announced
Wednesday that he would not be attending. Carson, the retired neurosurgeon, said he saw no path forward for his campaign after a string of poor showings in the Super Tuesday contests.
Recent polls show Trump holding a double-digit lead in Michigan, but his opponents are hopeful that greater scrutiny will erode his advantage. Cruz and Rubio are both campaigning hard in the state, and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio has focused on Michigan as a place where he should perform well.
The downtown Detroit setting will provide an evocative backdrop for the contenders to hash out their positions on how to revive the economy. The city was among the hardest hit during the recession, with the struggles of the car industry coming to symbolize the decline of America’s manufacturing sector. In 2008, the Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, whose family hails from Michigan, was criticized for writing an opinion piece headlined “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt,” words that haunted him during the 2012 campaign.
Fittingly, Romney will reappear on the political stage from afar on Thursday. He has become increasingly critical of Trump in recent weeks and plans to give his thoughts about the state of the race during a morning speech in Utah.
The Republicans are expected to spend considerable time in Michigan in the next week before the state’s primary on March 8, when 59 delegates are at stake.
Democrats will hold their own debate in Flint, Michigan, on Sunday.
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