GOP debate set to highlight party’s fractured field

WASHINGTON (AP) — A smaller cast of Republican presidential candidates returns to the main debate stage Thursday night, one of the last high-profile opportunities for the White House hopefuls to sway voters before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucus. The prime-time showdown in South Carolina will highlight a race that has cleaved into two distinct — and increasingly heated — contests.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A smaller cast of Republican presidential candidates returns to the main debate stage Thursday night, one of the last high-profile opportunities for the White House hopefuls to sway voters before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucus. The prime-time showdown in South Carolina will highlight a race that has cleaved into two distinct — and increasingly heated — contests.…